Kings sign G Cal Petersen to 3-year, $15 million extension

EL SEGUNDO — Goalie Cal Petersen has agreed to a three-year, $15 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Kings.

The Kings announced the deal Wednesday for Petersen, an Iowa native and Notre Dame product who signed with the club as an unrestricted free agent four years ago.

Petersen’s extension begins in the 2022-23 season. He will play the upcoming season under a three-year, $2.575 million deal signed in July 2019.

Petersen went 9-185 last season for the struggling Kings, but established career-bests in goals-against average (2.89) and save percentage (.911). He appeared in a team-leading 35 games while assuming the role of Los Angeles’ No. 1 goalie in the injury absence of Jonathan Quick.

The 26-year-old Petersen also backstopped the U.S. team to bronze medals at the IIHF world championships this summer. He is 1925-6 with a 2.79 GAA, .916 save percentage and one shutout in 54 NHL appearances.

Quick, the Kings’ two-time Stanley Cup champion and their starting goalie since the 2008-09 season, appeared in just 22 games last season while dealing with injuries. He had shoulder surgery during the offseason.

The 35-year-old Quick will make $5.8 million in each of the next two seasons to

complete the 10-year contract extension given to him by former general manager Dean Lombardi in 2012 shortly after Quick won the Conn Smythe Trophy while leading the Kings to their first Stanley Cup title.

CFP expansion stalls as commissioners sort through issues

A plan to expand the College Football Playoff stalled Wednesday when a key committee was unable to reach consensus on whether to grow the postseason format from four to 12 teams.

The 10 major college conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director who make up the management committee met to share feedback from their members and address concerns about the expansion proposal that was unveiled in June.

“As the committee moves forward, there remains issues to be discussed,” CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock said in a statement. “Given the complexity of these matters, the management committee will meet again in Chicago next week to continue our discussions.”

The meeting in the Dallas area, which was attended in person by some of the participants and virtually by others, was a prelude to the Chicago session that was supposed to include the CFP board of managers.

The board is comprised of university presidents and chancellors representing each conference. The board has final say in all matters related to the playoff and there was hope the management committee would bring the presidents a recommendation to approve a format change.

Instead, the management committee will reconvene next week, with the presidents joining via Zoom. No vote is expected.

Naomi Osaka withdraws

from next month’s Indian Wells tourney

INDIAN WELLS — Naomi Osaka pulled out of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday, a move that was expected after she indicated following her U.S. Open loss this month that she planned to take another extended break from tennis.

The withdrawal was announced by the official Twitter feed for the hard-court tournament at Indian Wells, which is scheduled for Oct. 4-17 after twice being delayed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion who has been ranked No. 1 and is currently No. 8.

She last played at the U.S. Open, where her title defense ended with a third-round loss to eventual runner-up Leylah Fernandez on Sept. 3.

After that defeat, Osaka said: “I honestly don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match.”

Osaka, a 23-year-old who was born in Japan and now is based in the U.S., took time off earlier this season, a mental health break that began when she withdrew from the French Open before her second-round match. She also sat out Wimbledon, then returned for the Tokyo Olympics, where she lit the cauldron during the opening ceremony.