LOS ANGELES—The LA Kings have issued left-wing Tanner Pearson a four-year extension contract for $15 million, which he signed on Tuesday, May 9. His new contract has an Annual Average Value (AAV) of $3.75 million, disclosed General Manager Rob Blake.
Pearson’s extension was announced the same day team officials announced they traded backup goalie Ben Bishop to the Dallas Stars in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick.
Pearson, who is 6 feet and 1 inch tall, weighs 204 pounds, and hails from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. He was drafted by the Kings in 2012 as a first-round selection and 30th overall. This past season, he appeared in 80 games, attained a career high of 44 points, which included 24 goals and 20 assists. Pearson and center Jeff Carter were the only players to score more than 20 goals in the 2016-2017 season. Carter led the team with 32 goals.
Pearson also posted five game-winning goals, three power-play goals, two shorthanded points, and one shorthanded goal, all of which were career-peaking.
In a total of 226 regular-season games with the Kings, Pearson has earned 103 points along with a plus-32 rating and 53 penalty minutes. He appeared in 30 playoff games, helping the Kings to a Stanley Cup win in 2014, totaling 15 points and obtained a plus-9 rating and 15 penalty minutes. The 2017-2018 season will be Pearson’s fifth season in the NHL.
Pearson said on a recent conference call that his main goal was to remain in Los Angeles, and that his signing was “a deal that was good for everyone.”
He also spoke about the dismissal of Darryl Sutter and Dean Lombardi, noting that the end of the season was “a pretty crazy time for everyone.”
“I think John [Stevens] is going to be good, still a familiar face to be there. It’ll be good to have someone you know behind the bench and focus on the right things,” Pearson shared with reporters on the conference call.
