Armstrong Gets Contract Extension

An NHL lockout looms five months from now, but the Kings locked up center Derek Armstrong to a contract extension Friday.

Armstrong, who would have been an unrestricted free agent July 1, signed a two-year, $2-million deal with a club option for a third year that would push the total value of the deal to $3.25 million. The option becomes Armstrong’s if he achieves unspecified scoring incentives.

Armstrong, who will turn 31 later this month, had bounced around with three teams and had played in Switzerland before finding a home with the Kings last season.

“It probably won’t sink in until the summertime,” said Armstrong, who made $500,000 this season. “I wouldn’t be in the NHL if it wasn’t for the Kings. I owe a lot to them.”

Armstrong scored a career-high 14 goals and had 21 assists this season despite sitting out 22 games because of a broken finger. He will end up sitting out the Kings’ final four games because of a torn right triceps that will not require surgery.

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There is still one game left for the Kings, but goaltender Roman Cechmanek has already been assigned off-season homework.

“We need Roman to address his off-season training plan,” Coach Andy Murray said. “He needs to come in better condition. That’s certainly something we can demand and expect of him, and we plan to do that. He did not come to training camp in great condition and we need him to be fitter.”

Cechmanek is 18-20-6 with a .906 save percentage that is 24th out of the league’s 30 starting goalies.

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Some European hockey federations have irked Murray because they practiced unfair player-poaching, he said.

Murray declined to name nations, but he was upset because they have already contacted unspecified King players to represent their respective nations in the World Championships that begin April 30 in the Czech Republic.

“We knew two to three weeks or even a month or two ago that some of the European federations were calling our players and saying, ‘We need you for the World Championships,’ ” Murray said. “That should be illegal and yet they do it.”

Murray says the Canadian and U.S. federations wait until the NHL regular season is over to contact players, a concept that should be practiced by all federations, he said.

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Left wing Alexander Frolov did not play Friday and will not play Sunday against the San Jose Sharks because of a sprained ankle.