Drew Doughty wanted to be the next LA Kings captain.
In fact, he might have wanted it more than any other player on the roster.
Although that wasn’t reason enough to appoint him the 15th captain in franchise history, be very clear about one thing — it means the world to him.
And that carries substantial weight; heavy enough that it means something to people in management and his teammates.
Come Thursday afternoon in El Segundo, GM Ken Holland and coach Peter Laviolette will have a chance to publicly weigh-in with their thoughts behind the decision.
One thing we’re not expecting them to announce is a contract extension for the 37-year-old defenseman. At least not quite yet.
“I would love to be the captain of this team,” Doughty said back in April, following LA’s playoff exit. “It’s something, I guess when I was younger, I never thought of. I kind of grew into a leadership role, and now it’s something I cherish.”
This was coming from a player who’s had a full mix of ups and downs over the past 18 years in Los Angeles. From a pair of Stanley Cups with the Kings to multiple individual awards and accomplishments, there’s only been one team Doughty ever wanted to play for.
That carries weight.
He easily could have begged off at several points in recent memory. There were days where he openly asked management to bring in additional reinforcements. He wanted to win. But he never asked to be traded, he never threatened to leave or even hinted at true unhappiness.
Few people have bled for and bragged about the Kings as much as Doughty.
While guys like Adrian Kempe and Mikey Anderson were often mentioned as candidates for the role, Doughty’s impact to the franchise can’t be overstated.
Not only is he the best LA Kings defenseman of all-time, by nearly every category imaginable, his presence is even larger. He isn’t just another long-term tenured or drafted player (i.e. Trevor Lewis, Alec Martinez, Kyle Clifford, etc.– all skaters with around 600+ games played in franchise history). This is Doughty we’re talking about.
When you think of Kings hockey in its totality over the past 25 years, he’s one of the first three faces you think of. Period.
And during the aforementioned interview, Doughty also stated his desire to stay right where he’s always been.
“I want to stay in LA for the rest of my career until I retire,” he proclaimed. “I understand that my performance this season wasn’t as good as it needs to be, and I expect to bring it back up next year.”
What to do with Doughty, and more specifically his future and how it’s tied to the captaincy, was one of the more challenging aspects for Holland to navigate around the past few months.
“We’ve agreed that we’re not going to sign him to an extension,” Holland said in late June, referring to the team’s immediate plans leading into July. “He loves it here. He wants to be here. I told him, and we both agreed, let’s see where he’s at, let’s see where the team is at a year from now. His desire is to finish as an LA King and only put on one team’s jersey. Certainly, that’s something that I’d like to have happen. But let’s see where he’s at and let’s see where we’re at.”
Digging deeper, Holland revealed a little bit more about what the future may look like.
“He’s 37 years old; I don’t want to underpay him, and I don’t want to overpay him,” remarked LA’s GM. “It’s not like I’m worried that he’s going to hit the open market and he’s going to leave. So, it’s an opportunity to play the season. And at the appropriate time — whether it’s during the season or at the end of the season — he and I will sit down and talk about where we’re going.”
Holland is a Hall of Fame GM. He’s a custodian of the league and the game, to a certain extent. Putting the captaincy on Doughty didn’t come lightly.
It’s also not a lifetime achievement award. Holland knows this.
Which is why we expect the Kings will likely announce a two-year extension for Doughty — probably with an average value of around $7-million per season — sometime before February 1.
While the move will likely come with a future reduction in minutes, that’s just fine for all involved. He doesn’t need to remain LA’s top guy to be effective.
Doughty can still play the game better than most; and even on the second pair, he’s a solid two-way option.
Yet, regardless of where he slots in, or how that changes his ice time moving forward, Doughty’s place on the team’s Mount Rushmore has already been chiseled.
Lead photo by Megan Sanders
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