Kopitar offering no discounts with recent performance

Though the ins and outs of Anze Kopitar's contract negotiations remain hush-hush, the most damning counter is playing out for everyone to witness.

Kopitar had a hand in all four goals Monday versus the Detroit Red Wings, helping the Los Angeles Kings earn a 15th point in nine games since reconvening from the holiday break. That 137-point pace has seen them pad their runaway lead in the Pacific Division, but also shoot out to the second-best overall record in the West.

And it harmonizes fittingly with Kopitar's most dominant stretch this season, which has seen him contribute on more than half of Los Angeles' goals.

(Courtesy: NHL.com)

This is not an outlying stretch; reversion would be the best word to describe his recent form. But his dominance, at least offensively, has only recently really jump-started.

The No. 1 pivot languished a little bit offensively, scoring a pedestrian 0.6 points per game before Christmas when wingers rotated in and out - unsuccessfully, for the most part - as coach Darryl Sutter experimented with his new-look lineup.

Milan Lucic was one of those wingers. He was swapped out, actually, after starting the season with Kopitar and Marian Gaborik. But after being given a second opportunity in late December, he's sparked the Kings' top center - much in the way he did for Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli earlier this season.

Kopitar's run of form, having scored 1.66 points per game, is obviously unsustainable, but unfortunately so might be his current environment. Lucic, like his center, needs a new contract at the end of the season.

Despite the aid the hulking former Boston Bruin has provided the Kings' top six, and his apparent affinity for the organization since joining via trade last June, what remaining capital the club has will be funneled down to Kopitar first.

Alas, there's only so much pie.

That might not matter much, though, if the two are spooning real pastry out of a silver chalice in June.