Kings sign Jake Muzzin to 5-year contract extension worth a reported $20 million

The Los Angeles Kings have locked up defenseman and regular Drew Doughty running mate Jake Muzzin to a long-term contract extension, the club announced Wednesday.

The contract will pay Muzzin $20 million in total, so his extension will carry an annual averaged value of $4 million per season, according to a report from TSN's Darren Dreger.

The 25-year-old defender was signed by the Kings as an Ontario Hockey League over-ager in 2009 and has blossomed into a puck possession monster and bona fide top-pairing defender. Though his Corsi For percentage and auspicious "with or without you" performance relative to Doughty's likely overvalues him marginally, there's no doubt Muzzin can effectively move the puck and tilt the ice against top-line competition.

Muzzin's new contract buys out four of his unrestricted free agent years, in addition to his last remaining restricted free agent year, at an excellent price for an above-average top-four defenseman. It was paramount for the Kings to keep Muzzin's cap-hit down, what with Justin Wiliams and Anze Kopitar requiring lucrative extensions in the coming years, which is likely part of the motivation for the Kings getting this done so early. 

With Muzzin locked up, the Kings will now employee Slava Voynov, Doughty and Muzzin through at least the 2018-19 NHL season for a total combined cap-hit of $15.166 million. Those three combined should serve as the cornerstones of a very good defensive corps poised to dominate the Pacific Division for years to come.