Jake Muzzin, left, signed a five-season contract extension with the Kings that will keep him in uniform through the 2019-20 season. (Fil photo by Michael Owen Baker/Los Angeles Daily News)

The Kings took another bold step toward solidifying their future when they signed defenseman Jake Muzzin to a five-year, $20-million contract extension Wednesday. Muzzin, 25, formed a strong defense pair with perennial Norris Trophy candidate Drew Doughty and joins a growing list of Kings with long-term contracts.

Muzzin signed with the Kings as a free agent on Jan. 4, 2010, and after an apprenticeship with the team’s American Hockey League team in Manchester, N.H., emerged as a very useful player. He has 41 points, including 12 goals, in 132 career games with the Kings. He also played in all 26 playoff games last season and recorded 12 points, including six goals, as the Kings won their second Stanley Cup championship in three seasons. He was the leading goal-scorer among defensemen in the playoffs.

Muzzin’s new contract will keep him in a Kings uniform through the 2019-20 season. He hasn’t made his season debut after suffering an upper-body injury before the team’s season-opening game Oct. 8. His status for Thursday’s game against the St. Louis Blues is uncertain. He said earlier this week there was no timetable for his debut.