Ryan Cowley 
After further establishing himself as the goalie of the future for the LA Kings, Cal Petersen has garnered key recognition from TheScore.
Coming off the signing of his new contract extension a couple of weeks ago, goaltender Cal Petersen enters the 2021-22 season with the momentum he needs to further establish himself as the No. 1 face in between the pipes for the LA Kings. Recently, TheScore chose Petersen as one of its Top 5 Fantasy Sleepers for the upcoming season.
While his 9-18-5 record last year wasn’t great on paper, it is notable to remember that Petersen’s subpar mark from 2020-21was more of a reflection on his team’s transitional — not to mention struggling — campaign than it was about No. 40’s overall performance. Nevertheless, Petersen put up auspicious numbers last season, including a 2.89 goals against average and a .911 save percentage.
But, with his new extension — three years, $5 million AAV to kick in in 2022 — there might be some added pressure for the 26-year-old netminder.
LA Kings Officially Extend Cal Petersen on 3-Year Pact Worth $5M AAV
As for TheScore and their decision to choose Petersen as a fantasy sleeper candidate, playing in front of a team that got better in the offseason paired with playing in a weaker Pacific Division makes Petersen a good choice.
For all intents and purposes, the Kings have been in a rebuilding phase during Petersen’s entire time with the club. Over that stretch, the Waterloo, IA, native has appeared in 54 games for the silver-and-black, accumulating a .916 save percentage — very decent with all things considered.
While the exact order may not be prevalent, Petersen did rank fourth on TheScore‘s list, edging out Florida Panthers defenseman MacKenzie Weegar and finishing just behind right-winger Drake Batherson of the Ottawa Senators. Jack Hughes of the Devils and Connor Garland of the Canucks rounded out the list, finishing one-two, respectively.
There is no shortage of scintillating storylines entering what will be a crucial season for the LA Kings, and Cal Petersen is definitely among those.
Once the season starts, which will be on Oct. 4 in Los Angeles against the Vegas Golden Knights, we will see just how invaluable Cal Petersen proves himself.