NHL Rumors: Kings expected to re-sign Matt Greene to four-year deal
The Los Angeles Kings face a busy offseason as they try to keep the Stanley Cup team in tact to make another run at their third Cup in four years and are reportedly finalizing a deal to re-sign veteran defenseman Matt Greene, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.
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Dreger tweeted the deal for Greene, 31, would be for four years and worth $10 million for an average annual salary of $2.5 million. Greene just finished playing out a five-year deal worth $14.75 million so he would be taking a slight pay cut to remain with the club he has been an alternate captain.
The length of the deal would be a bit of an eye-opener considering the veteran blue-liner has battled injuries and a dip in production over the last two seasons.
Greene was limited to only 38 games this season and missed five of the Kings 26 playoff games this year either as a result to injury or being a healthy scratch. The year prior, Greene appeared in just five of the 48 regular season games in the lockout-shortened season and nine postseason games.
His $2.5 million salary isn’t going to break the bank but a four-year deal for a player clearly on the decline and a history of injury could come back to hurt the team in the coming years with others facing a big pay day.
The Kings will try to sign Willie Mitchell and Marian Gaborik, who led the NHL in playoff goals, as their free agent priorities and Dwight King is a restricted free agent, as general manager Dean Lombardi attempts to bring back the entire team next year.