Tuesday morning links: July 14

ESPN.com: How Toews’ and Kane’s paychecks impact NHL contracts ($)
There are comparisons to be drawn between the Chicago stars and Anze Kopitar, who has one year remaining on his current contract. Surprise! Kopi’s name comes up:

For other teams to duplicate the success the Blackhawks have enjoyed the last several years, they need to try and convince their star players that perhaps the $10.5 million Kane and Toews will be earning isn’t necessarily the standard but rather the reward for multiple championships.

But even that argument doesn’t work for Anze Kopitar who has as many rings as Toews did when he signed the deal. Kopitar has one more year remaining on a contract that has a cap hit of $6.8 million.

The Kings weren’t thrilled with the Kane and Toews contracts and look at Ryan Getzlaf’s $8.25 million AAV as the ideal comparison for Kopitar.

The Kings have their own cap issues, none of which are Kopitar’s fault, but he will no doubt be asked to scale back salary expectations in the name of winning another Stanley Cup. According to a source, contract talks between the two sides haven’t gotten off the ground yet this summer.

CBSSports.com: Friday Top 5: Kings most likely to bounce back in 2015-16

Frozen Royalty: LA Kings G Prospect J.F. Berube Is Pushing For Job With The Big Club In 2015-16
-Barring an injury to Jonathan Quick or Jonas Enroth, J.F. Berube won’t start with the big club next season. But he’s nearing the cusp of competing for an NHL spot, and Gann Matsuda shares some interesting insight with Berube and Goaltending Coach Bill Ranford:

Maintaining his focus in similar situations has been a knock on Berube’s game since he was drafted. But overall, he has made great strides in improving his concentration.

“I know I improved my concentration a lot during games when I’m not facing a lot of shots,” said Berube. “But there’s times when I gave up goals that I shouldn’t have given [up], and I know that. I need to improve that so I can take that next step.”

HockeyBuzz.com: Could Trevor Lewis Be a Top 6 Forward?
-Come for the answer you were expecting (five words in!) and stay for an interesting look at how Lewis makes his linemates better by suppressing shots and (gasp!) helping generate scoring chances.

The Royal Half: Thanks for the memories, Justin Williams

Looch coverage: NHL.com, Sportsnet, NESN, USA Today, LA Times, OC Register, Daily News, The Fourth Period, Jewels from the Crown