Nicholls’ Patience Pays Off With Contract Fit for King

Bernie Nicholls thought he was worth a new contract even before the last hockey season began, but he decided against pressing his luck with the Kings’ front office because, for one thing, he wanted the chance to play with Wayne Gretzky and didn’t like the trade rumors he kept hearing.

Also, and perhaps more important, he thought maybe he could increase his value with one more good season.

He was right on both counts. Playing with Gretzky was all he ever thought it would be, and as a result, Nicholls set a club record with 70 goals and finished with a career-high 150 points.

And Monday, the Kings announced they have signed Nicholls to a multiyear contract. He confirmed that the contract runs five years and will be worth, bonuses included, almost $750,000 a year. That represents an increase of about three times his previous salary.

“I hope this puts an end to all the trade talk,” Nicholls said. “I think the main reason my name always came up was because I wasn’t making anything before.”

Nicholls negotiated with the Kings himself, feeling no need for an agent after conferring with Gretzky about what other top players were making and what he should expect from the Kings.

“To do it that way, I had to trust the Kings, I guess, but I do trust them,” Nicholls said. “Both Bruce (owner Bruce McNall) and Rogie (General Manager Vachon) have been good friends over the years. I knew they would have a fair offer ready for me.”

The Kings also announced the signing of defenseman Tim Watters to a multiyear contract, and Mario Gosselin, a goaltender for the Quebec Nordiques who became a free agent after last season. They signed Gosselin without compensation to Quebec.

Goaltender Glenn Healy, who won 25 games for the Kings last season, played out the last year of his contract and is a free agent. Healy said Monday that he has not had a chance to talk to the Kings about a contract for next season.

“You can never have too many goaltenders,” McNall said. “(Signing Gosselin) doesn’t have anything to do with our negotiations with Glenn. We learned during the playoffs when both of our goaltenders got sick that you can never have too many.”