The Los Angles Kings can take a breath of fresh air, as come opening day, Drew Doughty will be in their lineup. Late Thursday night, it was confirmed that Doughty finally committed to the Kings; after a painfully long negotiation process. The financial terms have yet to be released but the LA Times report that it is an 8-year $56 million deal (yearly average of $7 million). Though it was said that the Kings weren't budging with their last offer and were refusing to pay Doughty more than Kopitar ($6.8 million a year); the Kings had to make a move and have now locked up arguably the best Canadian Olympic defencemen as well as one of the most highly sought after young players in the game.
The 21-year old London, On. native and former Norris Trophy candidate has collected 33 goals and 92 assists in just 3 seasons in the NHL. If his young career is a preview of what is to come, the Kings might have possibly held on to the cornerstone of a potential Stanley Cup team.
