- Drew Doughty wants to finish his career in L.A. and become the next Kings captain
- The 36-year-old defenseman is heading into the final year of his eight-year, $88 million deal
- Read below for Doughty’s full comments on Kopitar, Brandt Clarke, and the captaincy
Drew Doughty isn’t done yet. And he wants to wear the “C” before he is.
The Kings defenseman told reporters Wednesday that he hopes to finish his career in Los Angeles and step into the captaincy that just opened up with Anze Kopitar’s retirement.
“I want to stay in L.A. for the rest of my career until I retire, but 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,” the 36-year-old said, per NHL.com.
Doughty has been an alternate captain since 2015-16, and the chance to take over from his longtime teammate clearly means something.
“I’d love to be captain of this team,” Doughty said. “It’s something, I guess, when I was younger, (it’s) something I never thought of. And I kind of grew into a leadership role, and now it’s something I cherish, and it would mean the world to me to be a captain.”
He’s heading into the last year of his $88 million deal. No extension talks yet, but he made it clear he doesn’t want to play anywhere else.
This past season was a step back offensively. Doughty had 23 points in 72 games, the third-lowest total of his career, with his power-play role trimmed to make room for 22-year-old Brandt Clarke.
Doughty said he’s fine with that adjustment if it helps the Kings get over the hump:
“Obviously, if we can get all the ‘D’ involved and bring my minutes back a little bit, it would be in the best interest for the team,” he said.
The Kings were swept by Colorado in the first round, the fifth straight year they’ve gone out in the West 1st Round. They haven’t won a playoff series since the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.
Adrian Kempe and Mikey Anderson, both alternate captains this year, are also in the mix. Joel Edmundson summed up what Kopitar’s departure really means.
“You can’t just replace ‘Kopi,’ and I think everyone’s going to say that same thing,” Edmundson said. “He’s one of a kind. He’s the leader of leaders.”
