This morning the Los Angeles Kings signed forward Tanner Pearson to a two-year contract extension, with an AAV of $1.44 Million per season.
Pearson AAV in LA is $1.4M
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) April 2, 2015
A 2012 first round (30th overall) pick of the Kings, Pearson has recorded 16 points this season (12G, 4A) in 42 games. Pearson is currently on IR after breaking his ankle January 10th in a game against the Winnipeg Jets.
Technically a rookie, Pearson did help contribute to the Kings 2014 Stanley Cup run, where he played in 25 postseason games and registered 12 points (4G, 8A).
In October Pearson was named the NHL’s rookie of the month.
Pearson has spent most of his time playing with center Jeff Carter and winger Tyler Toffoli this season. The trio has been dubbed “That 70’s Line” as all three players have numbers in the 70’s.
In 42 games this season, Tanner Pearson has registered 12 goals and 4 assists for 16 points with a plus-14 rating. The Kitchener, Ont., native has played in 67 career NHL games (15 goals, eight assists).
The Kings selected Pearson with their first round pick, 30th overall, in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. It was his third time through the draft. In his final OHL season he exploded for 91 points in 60 games and even made Canada’s World Junior team. Pearson is the highest ever drafted NHL Draft re-entry.
Pearson is currently out of the Kings lineup and on injured reserve with a broken left lower fibula. He is now skating but a return date is unclear.
“I don’t know,” said Pearson, after undergoing an additional X-ray on Tuesday. “I’m hoping for playoffs, for sure, but I think the [regular] season’s very optimistic right now. But we’ll go day-by-day, as we’ve been doing for how long it’s been, and hopefully we get improvement.”
