Marian Gaborik's impact in Los Angeles has been sudden, but will it last? After a March 5 trade sent him to the Kings, the right winger, 32, departed Columbus determined only to “fit in and do his job” in L.A. He did that and more, turning in some of the best work of his playoff career while finding a sense of camaraderie with his new teammates.
Gaborik had his share of injuries and playoff disappointments. He’d played just 88 games the past two seasons and, prior to this year, he had 18 goals in 54 playoff games. With L.A., however, he developed instant chemistry with star center Anze Kopitar and scored eight times through 13 post-season tilts. “Anze is one of the top playmakers in the league,” Gaborik says. “It’s really exciting to be his winger.”
But Gaborik’s Hollywood star turn could still be a cameo. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent July 1, and the Kings need to fit him in under a salary cap expected to be around $71 million. They have around $13 million available, which creates room for Gaborik, who earned $7.5 million (but cost the Kings only a $3.75 million cap hit). They must make decisions on UFAs Willie Mitchell and Matt Greene, restricted free agents Dwight King and Linden Vey, and several others.
Gaborik was viewed as a rental when he arrived, but a willingness to go to the net and to play defense for coach Darryl Sutter has made him an all-around asset.
Kopitar is chief among the Kings who would love to see Gaborik return. “A left winger with a left-handed shot is something we were missing for a long time,” Kopitar says. “Every time he comes in the offensive zone, everyone is paying attention to him, so maybe that gives me a few more inches to work with.”
Whether he stays or goes, Gaborik will be remembered for his heroics in the Kings’ second-round series with Anaheim. With the Kings trailing 2-1 in Game 1, Gaborik tied the game with seven seconds remaining. Then, 12:07 into overtime, he tipped in a Kopitar pass to become the first player in playoff history to tie a game in the final 10 seconds and win it in OT. Two nights later, he scored 34 seconds into Game 2 to propel the Kings to a 2-0 series lead. In 12 minutes and 48 seconds, Gaborik scored three momentous goals, with Kopitar assisting on all of them. “We got put together very late,” Kopitar says. “You try to develop as quick as you can and it seems like it has been clicking for us.”
Kopitar is not the only teammate who wants to see Gaborik back. “Marian is a respectful guy that works hard every time he comes to the rink,” says center Jarret Stoll. “He got accustomed pretty quickly to what we are all about in this room. Great guy, great teammate.”
For his part, Gaborik is living in the moment. Whether he stays remains to be seen. Either way, L.A. has proven a soft landing spot for the former hardluck winger.
768 seconds it took Marian Gaborik to score a tying goal, overtime goal and opening goal in Games 1 and 2 against Anaheim