Kings shift focus to extending Doughty, addressing offence
EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. — The Los Angeles Kings believe they are still Stanley Cup contenders, even after being swept by the upstart Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. How close they are to that goal might be reflected in how negotiations go with defenceman Drew Doughty, 28, this summer.
General manager Rob Blake said Friday that working out a contract extension with Doughty is the team’s top priority. The Kings and Doughty can begin holding talks on July 1, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the 2018-19 season.
“I always wanted to be an LA King and I want to stay an LA King,” Doughty said.
Doughty, a skilled, mid-sized defenceman at six-foot-one and 200 pounds, is one of three finalists for the Norris Trophy presented to the league’s top defenceman. He won the trophy in 2016. He had 10 goals and 50 assists in his most productive NHL season yet, but Doughty believes he can still improve his scoring output.
“I wasn’t too happy with my goal totals this year,” Doughty said. “I think I only maybe scored one or two one-timer goals, which in my career probably half of my goals are one-timer goals, so I was pretty disappointed about that this year. I can definitely improve on that and have an even better season and hopefully set some new career-highs.”
The Kings scored just three goals in four games against the Golden Knights. Developing a more reliable offence is the one glaring weakness that needs be addressed, and lifting the Stanley Cup for the third time is a reasonable goal provided it gets solved going into next season.
“Everybody is still here that was here in 2014 and almost in 2012 for that matter, too, so we’re not that far off,” centre Anze Kopitar said. “It’s going to take a lot of work, but we’re not far off.”