Kings’ Doughty gets eight-year, $88 million extension
Defenseman Drew Doughty agreed to an eight-year, $88 million contract extension through 2026-27 to stay with the Los Angeles Kings. After cracking the Kings’ roster as an 18-year-old, Doughty has been among the NHL’S top defensemen throughout a 10-year career spent entirely with Los Angeles.
He won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman in 2016. As an aggressive, skilled two-way blueliner, he has been a finalist for the award in three other seasons — including 2017-18, when he scored a career-high 60 points while playing in all 82 games for the fourth consecutive season.
Doughty, 28, played a major role in the Kings’ Stanley Cup triumphs in 2012 and 2014 and also has two Olympic gold medals from playing for Canada.
He has one year left on an eight-year, $56 million deal signed in September 2011. Doughty can’t formally sign the new deal until July 1, when he will be one year away from free agency.
Doughty is second among Kings defensemen in career goals (102), assists (320) and points (422), trailing only Rob Blake in every category. He also has appeared in 84 playoff games, scoring 51 points.
Todd Reirden was promoted
Capitals:
to head coach, replacing Barry Trotz, under whom he had worked for the past four seasons.
Reirden, 47, was the lone candidate for the job after Trotz resigned June 18 and joined the New York Islanders three days later.
A former defenseman, Reirden coached the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-barre/scranton Penguins for parts of two seasons before serving as an NHL assistant with Pittsburgh for four years.
Reirden was a finalist for the Calgary coaching job two summers ago, losing out to former Las Vegas Wranglers coach Glen Gulutzan.
New Jersey hired former
Devils:
Minnesota general manager Chuck Fletcher as a senior adviser for management and hockey operations.
Fletcher, 51, spent the past nine seasons as Wild GM, overseeing six straight trips to the playoffs. But his contract wasn’t renewed after this past season.
Fletcher previously worked under current Devils GM Ray Shero as an assistant with Pittsburgh from 2006 to 2009.
Karl Taylor was named coach of the Milwaukee Admirals, Nashville’s American Hockey League affiliate.
Taylor, 47, who spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach with the AHL’S Texas Stars, previously worked with the Ahl’s Chicago Wolves and the Western Hockey League’s Portland Winterhawks.
Predators: