The best, Darryl Sutter assured, is yet to come.
Lucrative contracts reward the past and the future. And Sutter, the Kings coach, said that his prized center Anze Kopitar was "worth every penny" of his eight-year, $80-million contract extension.
The deal came together hours before the Kings played and lost to the Ottawa Senators in a Saturday afternoon matinee, blowing a two-goal third-period lead. Ottawa scored four unanswered third-period goals to beat the Kings, 5-3, at Staples Center.
For the 28-year-old Kopitar, the first four years of the contract extension feature a no-move clause, and the final four include a limited no-trade clause, according to a source familiar with the negotiations who was not authorized to comment.