Kings Sign Vopat for 3 Years

King center Roman Vopat, a key player in the Wayne Gretzky trade to St. Louis in 1996, signed a three-year contract with the team worth an estimated $400,000 a year Wednesday.

“Roman’s the type of player [King Coach] Larry [Robinson] really likes,” said Dave Taylor, King general manager and vice president. “He’s a big strong guy who’s a pretty good skater and likes to compete. I think that he has a great future.”

Vopat, 21, the younger brother of King defenseman Jan Vopat, had four goals and nine points in 29 games last season. He is projected as the team’s third-line center.