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Drew Doughty

West Notes: Doughty, Foligno, Duchene, Virtanen

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Last weekend, Kings defenseman Drew Doughty had some intriguing comments about his future in an interview with Matt Larkin of The Hockey News where he suggested that he could be okay leaving the team in pursuit of a contender if the team struggles over these next couple of seasons.  Speaking with reporters, including Curtis Zupke of the LA Times, Doughty clarified the statement and stated his desire to remain with Los Angeles long-term:

“You just never know what can happen … but I want to be here and I’m pretty sure that the L.A. Kings and all [my] teammates want me to be here, too. I’m sure something will happen and we will get it done.”

Doughty has two years remaining on his current contract with a $7MM cap hit and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2019.  The Kings already have more than $53MM committed to just 11 players for the 2019-20 season but undoubtedly will be prepared to make a significant offer to keep Doughty around well beyond then.

More from the West:

  • The Wild and RFA winger Marcus Foligno continued contract talks today, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). While it appears that talks are progressing, the two sides have yet to agree on a contract.  Earlier this week, it was reported that a three-or-four-year deal is in the works which would buy out multiple years of UFA eligibility.
  • It’s no secret that Avalanche GM Joe Sakic is seeking a big return for center Matt Duchene. Speaking with WGR 550 in Buffalo (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Avalanche are seeking one of Nashville’s top-four defensemen plus another asset in order to ship Duchene to the Predators.  While Duchene would certainly give them a top-six replacement for James Neal, that would certainly be a steep price to pay, especially with Ryan Ellis out until early 2018.
  • After reporting to training camp well past Vancouver’s targeted weight for him, Canucks winger Jake Virtanen has come to camp in much better shape this time around, notes Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province. At 215 pounds, Virtanen is well below the 231 he checked in at this time last year and that might help give him a leg up on a possible fourth line spot despite not exactly lighting it up in the AHL last season (he had 19 points in 65 games).  Head coach Travis Green acknowledged that the Canucks plan to give their fourth line a big workload this season which may make that role a better one for him over more playing time back with AHL Utica.

Evening Snapshots: Senators, Letang, Doughty

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • The Ottawa Senators signed forward Brendan Woods to a PTO this afternoon in the lead-up to training camp opening this Thursday. The Canadian forward was drafted 129th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, but has played only seven career NHL games so far. Expect this signing to be more a tryout for Ottawa’s new AHL affiliate Belleville Senators.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins can breathe a sign of relief as Kris Letang is officially cleared for contact, reports the NHL.com’s Sam Kasan. The Penguins expect Letang at training camp, which opens this Friday. Letang says that the contact clearance is just the first step, and that he doesn’t know if he’ll be ready by opening night. The Penguins’ defenseman played only 41 games last season after going down with a herniated disc in February.
  • Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty walked back comments made earlier about potentially leaving the Kings. Initially, Doughty told the Hockey News that he just wanted to win Stanley Cups and that he didn’t care where he played. Today, he clarified those comments by saying he only wants to win a Cup in Los Angeles. Doughty has two more years left on his deal before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

West Notes: Flames, Doughty, Sharks

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Marek Hrivik spent six years in the Rangers organization but only made 21 appearances with the NHL club, compiling no goals and three assists. However, he was much more productive in the AHL, where he played in 270 games and scored 53 goals for the Hartford Wolf Pack. Predictably, the 2012 undrafted free agent wanted an opportunity to play on the biggest stage, and he said that was a big reason why he signed with the Flames this offseason.

“It’s never been a dream of mine to play only in the AHL,” Hrivik told NHL.com’s George Johnson. “So I’ve been looking for a different opportunity. I’ve been with New York for five years and it just wasn’t going to work there. I had a bunch of teams interested but I thought I had the best chance in Calgary and that’s why I signed there. Obviously the interest I felt from the organization was also important. That was probably the No. 1 thing. You always want to feel wanted.”

The 25-year-old left the Rangers organization earlier this offseason and quickly signed a one-year, two-way deal with Calgary. Of course, he understands that it’s still an uphill battle to make the team’s final roster.

“There are bunch of guys in a similar position as I am, I’d say, for a fourth-line spot,” Hrivik said. “Money-wise, age-wise. So I think it’s going to be a decent battle.”

Let’s check out some more notes from around the Western Conference…

  • While former Norris Trophy winner Drew Doughty has been a mainstay for the Kings for nearly a decade, James O’Brien of Pro Hockey Talk believes the team should consider trading the 27-year-old. The writer notes that the organization would receive immediate salary relief, and he believes the Kings could convince another team to inherit a bad contract (like Dustin Brown and Marian Gaborik) in any trade for Doughty. A trade would also give the team a chance to get a head start on their rebuild, as they’d surely receive young players and/or draft picks.
  • Veteran Patrick Marleau signed a three-year contract with the Maple Leafs earlier this offseason, and some of his former Sharks teammates were surprised that he left San Jose. “That was crazy,” former Sharks (and current Panthers) defenseman Jason Demers told NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy. “For him to make that decision, I know him well personally and I know that was probably the biggest decision of his career. I don’t think anybody understands on the outside how big of a decision that was for him. … In my head, after talking to him a little bit, I thought he was going to stay, but I think him and his family discussed it and I think it’s going to be a great thing for him.” Marleau, who had spent 19 seasons with the Sharks, compiled 27 goals and 19 assists in 82 games last season.
  • Earlier today, Jaromir Jagr’s agent gave a “no comment” when asked about the rumors regarding the Flames.

Connor Brown Confident Contract Will Be Signed Before Season Begins

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TSN caught up with a handful of NHL players at Nazem Kadri’s fifth annual golf tournament supporting mental health in London, Ontario including Toronto Maple Leafs forward Connor Brown. Brown is without a contract still as one of the final restricted free agents of the offseason, but isn’t worried about the ongoing negotiations.

You’ve got to control what you can control, and go about your business everyday…I’m just leaving that to my agent and the team.

It’s obviously my first time going through something like this, and I don’t think it’s as stressful as the media would make it out to be. I’m very confident things will get sorted out by season time.

Brown also expressed his excitement about the Maple Leafs offseason, including the additions of Patrick Marleau and Ron Hainsey. The team will be relying on Brown as a secondary scoring option behind the big names, after he scored 20 goals as a rookie last season. The 23-year old is responsible defensively and was born and raised in Toronto, giving both sides a little more incentive to get a deal done.

  • Among the other players spoken to was Drew Doughty, who has known Kadri since they were young boys growing up in London. Doughty spoke about his frustration with the NHL’s Olympic decision, saying that fans won’t enjoy the Games as much without the top players in the world. Doughty should know, as he already has two Olympic gold medals under his belt from 2010 and 2014. A winner at basically every level, he’s also collected World Junior and World Cup gold to go along with his pair of Stanley Cup victories.

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