LOS ANGELES -- Marian Gaborik spent the last few months living at the beach and scoring clutch goals for the eventual Stanley Cup champions. The star left wing saw absolutely no reason to wake up from his dream life with the Los Angeles Kings. Gaborik agreed to a seven-year deal Wednesday to stay with the Kings, passing on the financial possibilities of unrestricted free agency to stay with the champs. According to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun, the deal has an average annual value of $4.875 million. The deal will pay Gaborik $6.075 million in each of the first three years, and then amounts of $5.075 million, $4.575 million, $3.175 million, and $3.075 million over the final four seasons of the package. "I know I could get maybe more money if I would have gone to free agency, but it wasnt about money," Gaborik said. "I wanted to stay here and be part of a great team." Los Angeles acquired the Slovak scoring machine from Columbus on March 5, and he was an immediate hit. Gaborik scored 16 points in 19 regular-season games before leading the NHL with 14 post-season goals during the Kings run to their second title in three years. Kings general manager Dean Lombardi struck a long-term deal before Gaborik became a free agent next week. Gaboriks contract is worth roughly $34 million, likely less than a seven-time 30-goal scorer would have commanded on the open market. The 32-year-old Gaborik was coy about his future during the Kings draining playoff run, saying he would make those decisions after the season. Away from the public, Gaborik had clearly formed a plan. "All along I wanted to stay here," Gaborik said. "The organization knew it, the players knew it, everybody knew it, my agent knew it. I believed we could get it done." Playing on the Kings top line alongside centre Anze Kopitar and captain Dustin Brown, Gaborik scored 22 points in 26 post-season games with the Kings before raising the Stanley Cup for the first time in his 13-season NHL career. Gaboriks 14 goals were one shy of Wayne Gretzkys franchise post-season record. He repeatedly scored in important situations for the Kings, including the tying goals late in two Stanley Cup finals games and in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals against Chicago. Gaborik filled an enormous need for the Kings, who acquired him in a bid to boost one of the NHLs least productive offences. Gaboriks goal-scoring talent fit perfectly with Kopitar, one of hockeys top playmakers, as the Kings improbably became the highest-scoring team in the playoffs. "To play along Kopi, probably one of the top centres in the league, just the way we clicked pretty quickly was great," Gaborik said. Gaborik also showed a willingness to play responsible defensive hockey in coach Darryl Sutters system, which further endeared him to his fellow Kings. He was embraced after the club acquired him for Matt Frattin and two draft picks, even moving into fellow ex-Columbus forward Jeff Carters home near the beach. Gaborik clearly loves the Kings lifestyle along with their playing style. He recently posted a series of photos on Instagram showing him celebrating at the Pacific Ocean -- running down the beach, lifting the Cup over his head while shirtless in the surf, and helping his girlfriend drink champagne from the trophy while his mother laughed in the background. "I knew right away: Great group of guys, great team, great fans, and obviously being in a great environment in terms of lifestyle and everything," Gaborik said. "That made a lot of sense for me. The No. 1 thing is winning a Cup and having a chance year after year, going into these games and having a chance to win every game." The Kings are the fourth NHL team for Gaborik, who mostly met enormous expectations while playing for the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild. But the three-time NHL All-Star has struggled with injuries in the past two seasons while getting traded twice. Gaborik has scored 704 career points, and he ranks 13th among active players with 347 goals, including three 40-goal seasons. He is a two-time Olympian for Slovakia, but missed the Sochi Games with an injury. Just as it did in 2012, Los Angeles championship team will return nearly intact in the fall. The Kings re-signed defenceman Matt Greene to a four-year contract on Tuesday, and their only significant unrestricted free agent is veteran defenceman Willie Mitchell. The Kings have several long-term contracts on their books, yet Lombardi has scarcely made an inaccurate move in the last five years while building his two-time champions. "To be a part of this, Im pretty happy about it," Gaborik said. "Hopefully we can just keep this train rolling." Fake Soccer Jerseys .C. -- Al Jefferson said he feels like hes playing the best basketball of his 10-year NBA career. 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A decade later, Edwards finally has a win to show for his hard work. And, he beat road racing ace Jeff Gordon to get to Victory Lane on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, where Gordon leads all drivers with five wins. "My road racing progression, its been a pretty long climb," Edwards said. "The real special part to me was to stand in Victory Lane at Sonoma and have Jeff Gordon come and give me a handshake as the second-place finisher. I grew up watching Jeff Gordon, and specifically watching how he drove this race track and all the successes he had here, so I mean, thats really super. Its something Ill never forget." Edwards win made Roush Fenway Racing the unlikely organization to end Hendrick Motorsports five-race winning streak. And, the win came a week after Roush was shut out at Michigan, where the organization failed to put a car in the top 10 for the first time since 2000. Edwards took the lead on a restart with 25 laps remaining and seemed to have the win wrapped up until Gordon nearly chased him down on the final lap. Gordon had one good look at Edwards and couldnt pull off the pass. "That last lap was ugly," Edwards said of trying to hold off Gordon. It wasnt a terrible day for the Hendrick organization, which had won every Sprint Cup Series race since Gordons victory at Kansas on May 10. Instead, HMS settled for all four of its drivers finishing in the top seven. Gordon, the Sprint Cup Series points leader, wound up second. He said he made one mistake in overdriving a turn with about five laps to go that allowed Edwards to build a healthy lead. "I just couldnt put enough pressure on him," Gordon said. "I think had I put some more pressure on him, I saw him really struggling with the (tire) grip level, but he did everything he needed to do. That last lap, I gave it my best effort and closed up on him and he didnt overdrive it. I was hoping he might slide up and Id get a run on him." Dale Earnhardt Jr. was third after rallying from an inciident that wrecked Matt Kenseth, and was apologetic on the radio and after the race.dddddddddddd "I tried to screw it up a couple times in the race, but I calmed down and was able to get a good finish," Earnhardt said after his career-best finish on a road course. "I got into Matt, I jumped a curb and jumped into the air and just ran into him. Totally my fault. I hope hes not sore with me." Kasey Kahne bounced back from an early flat tire to finish sixth and Jimmie Johnson was seventh. In all, Chevrolet drivers took spots two through seven as pole-sitter Jamie McMurray, using a Hendrick engine, finished fourth and Paul Menard was fifth. Fords rounded out the top 10, led by Edwards, Marcos Ambrose eighth and Roush driver Greg Biffle was 10th. The highest-finishing Toyota was Clint Bowyer in 11th. Bowyer was the leader on a restart with 31 laps to go, was passed by Ambrose, and then got a flat left rear tire. The tire problem led to Jamie McMurray turning Bowyer, and as Bowyers car was stopped in the middle of the track, bottleneck traffic caused Kevin Harvick to run into Bowyer. "We got ourselves in position and had a flat. It was going down and I was all over the place," he said. "Jamie just kind of finished me up and got me out of the way. Bad luck, man." Edwards win is his first career victory on a road course, and hed never been higher than third at Sonoma. More important, it was his second win of this season and locks him into the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship field. It was Edwards 23rd win of his career, the 135th Sprint Cup Series victory for car owner Jack Roush, and it made Edwards the 10th consecutive different winner at Sonoma. Crew chief Jimmy Fennig said the race played into their hands after pitting with 40 to go and then a caution came out and Fennig made the call to not bring Edwards in a second time under yellow. The strategy moved Edwards toward the front of the field and he moved his way to the front. "When you got somebody like Carl behind the wheel, and you put him out front, hes going to get it done," Fennig said. "To have two wins right now and to be locked in really feels good." ' ' '