NHL Free Agents 2011: Los Angeles Kings Close to Deal with Drew Doughty?

The Los Angeles Kings have yet to sign star defenseman Drew Doughty to a new contract, but the two sides appear closer to an agreement.

According to ESPN’s Dan Arritt, Kings general manager Dan Lombardi held a 40 minute discussion with Doughty’s representatives this past Tuesday.

In Arritt’s article, Lombardi spoke about the ongoing talks regarding Doughty’s contract:

“It’s safe to say we’re still having dialogue and we’ll keep trying to move forward,” Lombardi said. “We’re still on track.” 

Doughty, 21, is a restricted free agent, and has yet to receive an offer sheet from another team. Since the new CBA agreement starting in the 2005-06 season, very few teams have made offers to opposing teams’ restricted free agents.

Doughty scored 11 goals with 29 assists for 40 points last season, which was 19 points fewer than he accumulated in 2010.

After Steven Stamkos re-signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning ten days ago, Doughty became the most notable restricted free agent available.

While the Kings are in no real hurry to re-sign the young defenseman, they may be waiting to see how Nashville Predator’s captain and young defenseman Shea Weber’s contract negotiations turn out.

Weber is also a restricted free agent, and has an arbitration hearing set for August 2.

However, Lombardi has said that the outcome of Weber’s hearing will not set the parameter for Doughty’s deal.

Weber, 26, is five years older than Doughty, and is just one season away from becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Kings fans shouldn’t be concerned that their best defenseman has yet to sign. Many top RFAs usually don’t sign right away.

Last year’s notable RFA Bobby Ryan didn’t re-sign with the Anaheim Ducks until mid-September.

The Kings want Doughty, and they have built a talented roster that will contend in the Western Conference for years to come.

Lombardi has also stated that the Kings will match any offer Doughty receives from another team, if one is submitted.

Doughty will command a lot of money to sign long term, and with the NHL’s hard salary cap making large contracts risky, the Kings must not sacrifice their future financial health by overpaying for Doughty.

Kings center Anze Kopitar is currently the team’s highest paid player, making $6.8 million until the 2015-16 season.

If Lombardi can convince Doughty to sign a long deal, something somewhat similar to Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith’s 13 year deal, then the Kings will be able to spread out Doughty’s salary and not be stuck with a huge cap hit.

It’s unlikely that Doughty will sign a contract of more than 10 years like Keith, but a five to eight year deal would be beneficial to both sides.

Lombardi knows how valuable Doughty is to his defensive corps, and will fight to the end to re-sign him.

The Kings have yet to sign the cornerstone of their defense, but there is little reason for fans to worry that Drew Doughty will not be calling Los Angeles home this fall.

Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins featured columnist for Bleacher Report, and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston. Follow him on Twitter for Bruins news and analysis. Follow @NicholasGoss35