- Kings GM Ken Holland told Drew Doughty he won’t be traded
- Extension talks haven’t started, but Holland expects Doughty back next season
- Read below for Doughty’s contract status and what else Holland said
Drew Doughty isn’t going anywhere, and Kings general manager Ken Holland has told him so directly.
Holland appeared on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio on Saturday and David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period shared what he said. Contract talks with the Kings captain haven’t started yet, but Holland made his position clear when he spoke to Doughty about it.
Here’s Pagnotta’s post with Holland’s comments:
Pagnotta followed up with a bit more on what Holland and Doughty have talked about:
Doughty is in the final season of an eight-year, $88 million contract that pays him $11 million. He can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2027.
He said last month that he believes he can play past 40 and would take a team-friendly deal to stay in Los Angeles. Holland’s message lines up with that.
The 36-year-old has eight points in 13 games this season, with one goal, seven assists and a plus-8 rating. He turns 37 on Dec. 8 and took over as captain from Anze Kopitar in September.
Doughty went second overall in 2008 and has played all 1,292 of his NHL regular-season games with the Kings. He won two Stanley Cups in L.A. and the Norris Trophy in 2015-16.
Pagnotta also passed along a couple of lineup notes from Holland. Turcotte returns to the Kings lineup Saturday night, while Kevin Fiala and Zuccarello are inching closer to their own returns.
