Acquired prior to the NHL Trade Deadline, veteran defenseman Robyn Regehr has fit in well with the Los Angeles Kings.
So well, in fact, the team wasn't willing to wait until the Stanley Cup Playoffs were over to make sure he stayed put.
The Kings, who open the Western Conference Final on Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks, announced Thursday they have signed Regehr, 33, to a new two-year contract.
Regehr was acquired by the Kings on April 1 in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft and in the 2015 NHL Draft. He helped fill a void left by a season-long injury to defenseman Willie Mitchell.
"I think both are experienced guys," coach Darryl Sutter said Thursday of Regehr and Mitchell. "Both are great locker-room guys. Both are great work- ethic guys. Both are always well-prepared for games. Has he done that? Obviously we’re still playing, so he must be doing that."
Regehr had four assists in 41 games this season for the Kings and Buffalo Sabres. He has one assist in 13 postseason games.
"He's been great for us ...," defenseman Drew Doughty said Wednesday. "[Matt Greene] was still out, so we needed that defensive presence and that physical guy. For the most part, our D corps wasn't the most physical and we were more good passers and bringing him in - he's helped out a lot. He's been a great guy to have. We all love him. He's a big part of where we are right now."
A first-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 1998, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound blueliner has career totals of 30 goals, 172 points and 881 penalty minutes in 943 games for the Calgary Flames, Sabres and Kings.
Regehr was a member of the 2004 Flames who went to the Stanley Cup Final and lost in Game 7 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He has three goals and 16 points in 54 playoff games.
NHL.com correspondent Curtis Zupke contributed to this report.
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