The Los Angeles Kings goaltender underwent an ACL reconstruction surgery earlier this week, the team announced on Saturday. This procedure will see him sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Copley injured his knee during a practice session held on 15 December. He was subsequently placed on long-term injured reserve. Following the procedure, performed by Dr. Frank Petrigliano at Keck Hospital of USC, the severity of Copley’s injury came to light.

While the Kings are ranked third in the Pacific Division with 46 points, the team has recently slipped in form, going winless in their last four games. Although the Kings are without Copley, Cam Talbot has proven to be a strong performer for the team, being selected to the All-Star Game earlier in the week. he leads the league with a 2.10 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.

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Veteran center Anze Kopitar continues to make his mark on the Los Angeles Kings franchise. After contributing an assist to Quinton Byfield in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday night, Kopitar became the Kings’ all-time assists leader.

Kopitar emerged on top with 758 assists in 1,313 games with the franchise, surpassing Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne, who dished 757 assists in 921 games he played for the Kings.

Kopitar’s record-breaking assists came in the third period after he combined with Adrian Kempe to find Byfield, who scored for a 2-1 lead at the time.

“Obviously, it feels great,” Kopitar said after the game. “Like a few before, it’ll take a little time to set in. Sometimes, you look at that list and the names that are on there, it makes it very surreal to just be able to be on the same page with those guys. I guess now passing them, it’s very surreal. Very humbling feeling obviously.”

Anze Kopitar spent his entire NHL career with the LA Kings. He made his debut in 2006 and has since contributed 1,141 points in the regular season and 77 points in the playoffs. Kopitar helped the Kings win Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014 while also earning five All-Star nods.

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The Los Angeles Kings announced on Wednesday that they have signed veteran defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a two-year extension. Gavrikov was previously set to enter the unrestricted free agency in the summer.

According to the Kings, Gavrikov’s new deal comes with an average annual salary of $5.875 million and a total value of $11.75 million. It will keep him with the franchise throughout the 2024-25 NHL season and gives the 27-year-old player a no-movement clause.

Gavrikov joined the Kings midway through the 2022-23 campaign in a trade that sent the legendary goalie Jonathan Quick to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Gavrikov finished the season with six goals and 13 assists combined.

Despite not bringing much on the offensive end, Gavrikov has a reputation for being a stout defender. This would make him one of the most-coveted free-agent defensemen in free agency, explaining why the Kings decided to lock him to a deal as soon as they did.

Vladislav Gavrikov signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets in 2019 after playing his early professional career in his native Russia. Since then, Gavrikov has played 222 games in NHL, scoring 16 goals and dishing 33 assists for a total of 49 points.

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On Wednesday, the Minnesota Wild announced the team has traded talented forward Kevin Fiala to the Los Angeles Kings. In exchange, the Wild will receive this year’s first-round selection (No. 19) and defenseman prospect Brock Faber.

The trade might raise some eyebrows, especially since Fiala had an impressive 2021-22 season that saw him play 82 games and contribute with 33 goals and 52 assists for a total of 85 points. However, the 25-year-old was set to become a restricted free agent, and Minnesota would have a hard time paying him.

The Wild is entering the offseason already in salary-cap trouble, and things are only getting worse for the franchise moving forward. This is mainly due to dead cap space that came with the decision to buy out Zach Parise’s and Ryan Suter’s contracts last offseason.

Reportedly, the Kings sorted out the details of a contract extension with Fiala before even pulling the trigger on the trade. The Swiss-born player is expected to get a seven-year deal that will pay him around $8 million on an annual basis.

With no real possibility to keep Fiala on their roster, the sense is that the Wild got the best out of a bad situation. They can add young talent in the draft while receiving a player in Faber who could contribute soon. Faber played two seasons of college hockey at the University of Minnesota and was part of Team USA at the 2022 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

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NHL team the Los Angeles Kings announced on Wednesday that they’ve reached an agreement with goalie Cal Petersen for a three-year, $15 million contract extension. With the new deal coming into effect during the 2022-23 season, Petersen is expected to play the new season under the three-year, $2.575 million deal that he signed in July 2019.

Last season proved to be a challenging one for the Kings in terms of results, with Petersen amassing a 9-18-5 record. Despite this performance, however, Petersen put in an outstanding individual performance, achieving career-best figures in both goals-against average (2.89) and save percentage (.911). Petersen appeared in 35 games last season, covering for usual number one pick goalie Jonathan Quick due to injury.

In addition to representing the Kings over the past four years, Petersen represented the United States national team at the IIHF world championships this summer, helping his side earn a bronze medal finish.

Quick, on the other hand, is a two-time Stanley Cup champion who has been with the Kings since the 2008-09 season. The first-choice goalie for the Kings, Quick appeared in 22 games last season before injuries cut his season short. He subsequently underwent shoulder surgery during the offseason.

The post LA Kings and Cal Petersen Reach Extension Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Toronto Maple Leafs ended their search for a quality defenceman on Tuesday by acquiring Jake Muzzin from the Los Angeles Kings in a massive trade agreement that involves a first round-pick, forward prospect Carl Grundstrom and defence prospect Sean Durzi.

Muzzin, 29, will be a great addition to the Maple Leaf’s leaky defence line. Muzzin is left-handed but he’s still good on the right side, the most affected D-line area. The 29-year-old will also ease goalie Frederik Andersen’s job, particularly this season when he’s had to play really hard to stop opponents’ offense sides.

Muzzin is also a great deal contractual wise, with an annual contract worth $4 million that is expected to end 2020. He may not be the most defenseman there is, but he’s a great upgrade to what the Maple Leafs have this season. With 21 points, the 29-year-old ranks 10^th in the Leafs’ scoring list and third among all defenders.

The Maple Leafs will, however, part ways with some of their youngsters. Grunstrom, 21, has already tallied 13 goals and 29 points in the 42 games he played for the team’s AHL affiliate this season. Durzi, was a second-round pick last year.

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The Chicago Blackhawks cut ties with head coach Joel Quenneville on Tuesday morning after 11 seasons with the NHL franchise.

Quenneville won 3 Stanley Cups for the Blackhawks. He’s the second-winningest coach in the league’s history with 890 wins in three clubs and had stayed with the club since 2008. 33-year-old Jeremy Colliton was announced as the new coach, becoming the youngest head coach in NHL.

The Club’s owner released a statement to announce Quenneville’s dismissal and called the decision “difficult as it should.”

“As Chicago Blackhawks fans have seen over the last decade, this organization no longer shies away from making tough decisions or ones based on emotion,” the statement read. “Those days are long behind us. Of course, Joel’s was difficult, as it should have been.”

Coach Quenneville not only won the three league cups for Chicago, but he also led the Blackhawks to back-back playoffs for nine years. The Blackhawks only missed their first playoffs in a decade last year. The team has also been struggling this year, having lost five games.

Quenneville’s assistants Kevin Dineen and Ulf Samuelsson were also fired. 66-year-old, Barry Smith was however retained to help Colliton reorganize his team. The legendary coach becomes the second manager to face the ax in a week after the Los Angeles Kings fired Coach John Stevens this weekend, hiring Willie Desjardins instead.

The post Blackhawks Fire Coach Joel Quenneville Who Won 3 Stanley Cups in 11 Seasons appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In a move that may draw some resemblance to the story of Vince Papale, the Los Angeles Kings have announced that will hold open tryouts in order to find their new emergency goalie. The tryouts will take place on September 27 at the Toyota Sports Center. In order to attend the tryouts, you’ll have to meet certain conditions. Candidates have to be at least 18 years old and they need experience in playing at the high level of amateur hockey. The final requirement is that the candidates can’t have a signed contract to play in a professional league. The most successful candidate will have an opportunity to “provide emergency goaltending duties at all of its 2017-18 home games at STAPLES Center.” The team also noted that only 30 goaltenders will be selected to try out. If you think you have what it takes, you can sign-up by following this link.

“The NHL requires each home team to have an emergency goalie in the stands for every game and we thought this would be a good opportunity to see who in our area is best qualified for the job. It will be interesting, that is for sure,” said President of the LA Kings Luc Robitaille.

If you think this is the first time NHL team does something like this, you are in for a surprise. As Yahoo Sports noted, Minnesota Wild tried a similar thing in 2012. Wilds invited 11 goalies from around Minnesota to participate in the on-ice competition. A panel of judges was selected in order to find the two best candidates. The candidates were then to participate in the shootout, with the winner taking the role of Wild’s emergency goalie.

Even if LA Kings don’t manage to find a proper candidate, this could still be viewed as a great media stunt and a way to distract fans from disastrous few seasons Kings recently had.

The post LA Kings Will Hold Open Tryouts To Find New Emergency Goalie appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Los Angeles Kings goaltender underwent an ACL reconstruction surgery earlier this week, the team announced on Saturday. This procedure will see him sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Copley injured his knee during a practice session held on 15 December. He was subsequently placed on long-term injured reserve. Following the procedure, performed by Dr. Frank Petrigliano at Keck Hospital of USC, the severity of Copley’s injury came to light.

While the Kings are ranked third in the Pacific Division with 46 points, the team has recently slipped in form, going winless in their last four games. Although the Kings are without Copley, Cam Talbot has proven to be a strong performer for the team, being selected to the All-Star Game earlier in the week. he leads the league with a 2.10 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.

The post Los Angeles Kings’ Pheonix Copley Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Veteran center Anze Kopitar continues to make his mark on the Los Angeles Kings franchise. After contributing an assist to Quinton Byfield in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday night, Kopitar became the Kings’ all-time assists leader.

Kopitar emerged on top with 758 assists in 1,313 games with the franchise, surpassing Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne, who dished 757 assists in 921 games he played for the Kings.

Kopitar’s record-breaking assists came in the third period after he combined with Adrian Kempe to find Byfield, who scored for a 2-1 lead at the time.

“Obviously, it feels great,” Kopitar said after the game. “Like a few before, it’ll take a little time to set in. Sometimes, you look at that list and the names that are on there, it makes it very surreal to just be able to be on the same page with those guys. I guess now passing them, it’s very surreal. Very humbling feeling obviously.”

Anze Kopitar spent his entire NHL career with the LA Kings. He made his debut in 2006 and has since contributed 1,141 points in the regular season and 77 points in the playoffs. Kopitar helped the Kings win Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014 while also earning five All-Star nods.

The post Anze Kopitar Becomes Kings’ All-Time Assists Leader appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Los Angeles Kings announced on Wednesday that they have signed veteran defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a two-year extension. Gavrikov was previously set to enter the unrestricted free agency in the summer.

According to the Kings, Gavrikov’s new deal comes with an average annual salary of $5.875 million and a total value of $11.75 million. It will keep him with the franchise throughout the 2024-25 NHL season and gives the 27-year-old player a no-movement clause.

Gavrikov joined the Kings midway through the 2022-23 campaign in a trade that sent the legendary goalie Jonathan Quick to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Gavrikov finished the season with six goals and 13 assists combined.

Despite not bringing much on the offensive end, Gavrikov has a reputation for being a stout defender. This would make him one of the most-coveted free-agent defensemen in free agency, explaining why the Kings decided to lock him to a deal as soon as they did.

Vladislav Gavrikov signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets in 2019 after playing his early professional career in his native Russia. Since then, Gavrikov has played 222 games in NHL, scoring 16 goals and dishing 33 assists for a total of 49 points.

The post LA Kings Sign Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a 2-Year, $11.75 Million Extension appeared first on SportzBonanza.

On Wednesday, the Minnesota Wild announced the team has traded talented forward Kevin Fiala to the Los Angeles Kings. In exchange, the Wild will receive this year’s first-round selection (No. 19) and defenseman prospect Brock Faber.

The trade might raise some eyebrows, especially since Fiala had an impressive 2021-22 season that saw him play 82 games and contribute with 33 goals and 52 assists for a total of 85 points. However, the 25-year-old was set to become a restricted free agent, and Minnesota would have a hard time paying him.

The Wild is entering the offseason already in salary-cap trouble, and things are only getting worse for the franchise moving forward. This is mainly due to dead cap space that came with the decision to buy out Zach Parise’s and Ryan Suter’s contracts last offseason.

Reportedly, the Kings sorted out the details of a contract extension with Fiala before even pulling the trigger on the trade. The Swiss-born player is expected to get a seven-year deal that will pay him around $8 million on an annual basis.

With no real possibility to keep Fiala on their roster, the sense is that the Wild got the best out of a bad situation. They can add young talent in the draft while receiving a player in Faber who could contribute soon. Faber played two seasons of college hockey at the University of Minnesota and was part of Team USA at the 2022 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The post Wild Trade Talented Forward Kevin Fiala to Kings appeared first on SportzBonanza.

NHL team the Los Angeles Kings announced on Wednesday that they’ve reached an agreement with goalie Cal Petersen for a three-year, $15 million contract extension. With the new deal coming into effect during the 2022-23 season, Petersen is expected to play the new season under the three-year, $2.575 million deal that he signed in July 2019.

Last season proved to be a challenging one for the Kings in terms of results, with Petersen amassing a 9-18-5 record. Despite this performance, however, Petersen put in an outstanding individual performance, achieving career-best figures in both goals-against average (2.89) and save percentage (.911). Petersen appeared in 35 games last season, covering for usual number one pick goalie Jonathan Quick due to injury.

In addition to representing the Kings over the past four years, Petersen represented the United States national team at the IIHF world championships this summer, helping his side earn a bronze medal finish.

Quick, on the other hand, is a two-time Stanley Cup champion who has been with the Kings since the 2008-09 season. The first-choice goalie for the Kings, Quick appeared in 22 games last season before injuries cut his season short. He subsequently underwent shoulder surgery during the offseason.

The post LA Kings and Cal Petersen Reach Extension Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Toronto Maple Leafs ended their search for a quality defenceman on Tuesday by acquiring Jake Muzzin from the Los Angeles Kings in a massive trade agreement that involves a first round-pick, forward prospect Carl Grundstrom and defence prospect Sean Durzi.

Muzzin, 29, will be a great addition to the Maple Leaf’s leaky defence line. Muzzin is left-handed but he’s still good on the right side, the most affected D-line area. The 29-year-old will also ease goalie Frederik Andersen’s job, particularly this season when he’s had to play really hard to stop opponents’ offense sides.

Muzzin is also a great deal contractual wise, with an annual contract worth $4 million that is expected to end 2020. He may not be the most defenseman there is, but he’s a great upgrade to what the Maple Leafs have this season. With 21 points, the 29-year-old ranks 10^th in the Leafs’ scoring list and third among all defenders.

The Maple Leafs will, however, part ways with some of their youngsters. Grunstrom, 21, has already tallied 13 goals and 29 points in the 42 games he played for the team’s AHL affiliate this season. Durzi, was a second-round pick last year.

The post Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Defenceman Jake Muzzin from Kings appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Chicago Blackhawks cut ties with head coach Joel Quenneville on Tuesday morning after 11 seasons with the NHL franchise.

Quenneville won 3 Stanley Cups for the Blackhawks. He’s the second-winningest coach in the league’s history with 890 wins in three clubs and had stayed with the club since 2008. 33-year-old Jeremy Colliton was announced as the new coach, becoming the youngest head coach in NHL.

The Club’s owner released a statement to announce Quenneville’s dismissal and called the decision “difficult as it should.”

“As Chicago Blackhawks fans have seen over the last decade, this organization no longer shies away from making tough decisions or ones based on emotion,” the statement read. “Those days are long behind us. Of course, Joel’s was difficult, as it should have been.”

Coach Quenneville not only won the three league cups for Chicago, but he also led the Blackhawks to back-back playoffs for nine years. The Blackhawks only missed their first playoffs in a decade last year. The team has also been struggling this year, having lost five games.

Quenneville’s assistants Kevin Dineen and Ulf Samuelsson were also fired. 66-year-old, Barry Smith was however retained to help Colliton reorganize his team. The legendary coach becomes the second manager to face the ax in a week after the Los Angeles Kings fired Coach John Stevens this weekend, hiring Willie Desjardins instead.

The post Blackhawks Fire Coach Joel Quenneville Who Won 3 Stanley Cups in 11 Seasons appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In a move that may draw some resemblance to the story of Vince Papale, the Los Angeles Kings have announced that will hold open tryouts in order to find their new emergency goalie. The tryouts will take place on September 27 at the Toyota Sports Center. In order to attend the tryouts, you’ll have to meet certain conditions. Candidates have to be at least 18 years old and they need experience in playing at the high level of amateur hockey. The final requirement is that the candidates can’t have a signed contract to play in a professional league. The most successful candidate will have an opportunity to “provide emergency goaltending duties at all of its 2017-18 home games at STAPLES Center.” The team also noted that only 30 goaltenders will be selected to try out. If you think you have what it takes, you can sign-up by following this link.

“The NHL requires each home team to have an emergency goalie in the stands for every game and we thought this would be a good opportunity to see who in our area is best qualified for the job. It will be interesting, that is for sure,” said President of the LA Kings Luc Robitaille.

If you think this is the first time NHL team does something like this, you are in for a surprise. As Yahoo Sports noted, Minnesota Wild tried a similar thing in 2012. Wilds invited 11 goalies from around Minnesota to participate in the on-ice competition. A panel of judges was selected in order to find the two best candidates. The candidates were then to participate in the shootout, with the winner taking the role of Wild’s emergency goalie.

Even if LA Kings don’t manage to find a proper candidate, this could still be viewed as a great media stunt and a way to distract fans from disastrous few seasons Kings recently had.

The post LA Kings Will Hold Open Tryouts To Find New Emergency Goalie appeared first on SportzBonanza.