Kings defenseman Slava Voynov is getting set to cash in on his breakout season.
The 23 year-old blue liner is set to become a restricted free agent in a few weeks but L.A. general manager Dean Lombardi is trying to make sure he stays in Southern California for a little while longer.
According to R-Sport in Russia (via Jon Rosen at L.A. Kings Insider), Voynov is close to a new deal with the Kings. Voynov’s agent, Alexander Tyzhnykh, relays the details.
“Slava is in contract talks with Los Angeles and we should come to an agreement in the very near future,” said Tyzhnykh, suggesting Voynov will not sign with his hometown Traktor Chelyabinsk, which offered him a deal to return to Russia earlier this week.
Ah yes, the ever-present threat of going to the KHL.
Considering Voynov had a career-high 25 points (6 goals, 19 assists) in a shortened season this year and then scored six more goals and 13 points in the playoffs, he’s got a healthy payday coming from either league. Rosen suggests Voynov could make anywhere between $3.5 million and $5 million per season on a new deal.