Per NHL.com:
The Los Angeles Kings announced Thursday night that they have reached verbal agreement on a multiyear contract with restricted free-agent defenseman Drew Doughty. The Kings say it’s an eight-year deal; TSN is reporting that worth an average of $7 million per season.
The 21-year-old had 11 goals and 40 points last season, a comedown from 2009-10 when he finished with 16 goals and 59 points, was a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defensemen as well as a second-team All-Star and an Olympic gold medal winner with Team Canada.
“He’s a special kid and he’s a good kid,” team governor Tim Leiweke told Kings Insider.. “These things are never easy, and sometimes people take them personally, but I think he’s going to be fine. I guarantee you we’re fine. I’m happy that we got it done.”
Doughty will have a week to get into game shape before the Kings open their season next Friday against the New York Rangers in Stockholm, Sweden. The Kings play Friday night at home against Anaheim and Saturday in Las Vegas against Colorado before leaving for Europe.
Leiweke said the signing indicated the franchise’s commitment to winning — the Kings have not won a Stanley Cup since entering the NHL in 1967.
“We are sending a very strong message to our fans. We’re committed to winning, and we just proved it again.” he said.
“When you look at the commitments that we made this summer, when you add this to Mike Richards and his long-term deal, and Jack Johnson and the commitment we tied up there, and then going out and adding Simon Gagne, we spent more money this summer than in the history of this franchise. We always said, if we get close, we will come with our guns blazing, and we just blazed. I’m glad it’s done. I want our fans to understand that now, this is all about creating an environment to win the Cup, and that’s what Drew is going to help us do. We don’t look back. We only look forward now, and eight years is a good forward.”
Kings coach Terry Murray was delighted to have his top defenseman back.
“I’m real happy for Drew Doughty and I’m real happy for the team, all the players in the locker room,” he told Kings Insider. “There’s no question that with him coming back in, there’s just going to be a real good feeling in the locker room.”
Murray said he’s hopeful Doughty will be able to make the trip to Las Vegas and skate beforehand with some of the players who won’t be dressing that night, then get him some practice time in Europe before the opener.
Doughty, who turns 22 on Dec. 8, statistically already ranks among the best defensemen to ever play for the Kings. His nine career game-winning goals ranks fourth all-time among Kings defensemen and his 17 career power-play goals ranks ninth all-time. He’s also 12th on the Kings all-time list in career goals (33), 13th in career assists (93) and points (126), and tied for 15th on the all-time list in career plus/minus rating (plus-16).
Doughty led the Kings and finished fifth in the NHL last season in ice time with an average of 25:38 per game. He led all Kings defensemen with 11 goals (eighth overall on the team) and his 29 assists tied for fourth overall on the team. He also finished fourth overall on the team in both plus/minus (plus-13) and blocked shots (101). Doughty finished the 2010-11 season with 11 multi-point games — the Kings were 9-2-0 in those games — and he logged 25 minutes or more of ice time in 41 of the 76 regular-season games he played in.
The Kings selected Doughty with the second selection in the first round of the 2008 Entry Draft. He has 33 goals and 126 points along with 178 penalty minutes in 239 career regular-season games with the Kings. In 12 career postseason games, Doughty has 5 goals and 11 points, with 12 penalty minutes.
