NHL Free Agency News: Is Drew Doughty Serious?

It is now September and we are one month away from the start of the NHL regular season. However, with that in mind, that also means the start of training camp is just around the corner.

In case you have been living under a rock for the last few months, Drew Doughty has held out despite receiving lucrative contract offers.

Doughty made news headlines again when he declined a massive deal that would pay him $61.9 million over the next nine seasons. This contract also came with an annual cap hit of $6.8 million. That figure would match star forward Anze Kopitar for the highest salary on the Los Angeles Kings.

An outsider looking in would be baffled by this. Why wouldn't a player accept a contract that would pay him almost $7 million a year? Honestly, who does Doughty think he is?

Does he deserve to be on the same pay grade as Zdeno Chara? What about Nicklas Lidstrom? Or what about the new king of the crop when it comes to dollars, Shea Weber?

The quick answer to these questions is a resounding no. This is what you have to consider when it comes to Doughty. He is a 21-year-old player coming off his first contract. He just had a down season and is asking for Shea Weber money.

Here are Doughty's career stats year by year with the Los Angeles Kings:

Season	Games	Goals	Assists	Points
2008–09	81	6	21	27
2009–10	82	16	43	59
2010–11	76	11	29	40

He had an average rookie season, a terrific sophomore year and he dipped in points last year. The question at hand is this: How is he in a position demand such a high salary? If you take Doughty away from the Kings, are they still a playoff team? Yes.

The Kings would still have Mike Richards, Anze Kopitar, Simon Gagne, Dustin Penner, Jonathan Quick and so on and so forth. 

That is one strike against Doughty. He can't bargain that he is the heart and core of the team.

Lets take a look at the contract Shea Weber just got. He was awarded $7.5 million a year. In 2010-11 Weber scored 16 goals and assisted on 32 others for 48 points. He was an All-Star, and was nominated for a Norris Trophy. Weber was in need of a serious raise and his performance on the ice was well deserving of this raise.

The arbiter maybe was a little generous, but at least Weber had a case for demanding such a large salary.

There is really no need to go into detail why Nicklas Lidstrom deserved the contract he received. However, we can use his accomplishment to justify reasons why Doughty is being a bit greedy.

There is truly one solid argument to use why Doughty doesn't deserve $7 million or more per season.

Is Doughty a seven-time Norris trophy winner, 12-time All-Star and four-time Stanley Cup winner? No, but Lidstrom is and he didn't receive a contract that large.

Doughty is really giving himself a bad name early on in his career. What message does it send to prospective teams that would possibly trade for him in the future if he can't iron out a contract?

Yes, I understand he may not want to sign his name to the dotted line for nine years, but it's the AAV money Doughty wants up front.

Doughty is not a $7 million defenseman. How do we even know that last year wasn't a down year but what he will average for his career?

Maybe he is another Dion Phaneuf. Phaneuf's stock was considered to be really high when he had 60 points in 2007-08 but since then he has had 47-, 22- and 30-point campaigns.

The best way to judge Doughty would be offering him a three- or four-year deal at an average salary of $5.5 million. This way, Doughty is paid fairly, the Kings have an exit route if he doesn't pan out, and his salary is manageable enough to trade to a team that will pay him a huge raise.

The worst part of this situation is that Doughty won't even show up at Kings events during the holdout. He isn't showing any good faith or a reason to get paid.

The bottom line is this. Doughty may be a talented defenseman with a bright future, but now he hasn't earned the money he is asking for. With an economy as turbulent as this, Doughty should have felt honored that he was offered a deal that would make him one of the highest paid players on the team.

What are your thoughts on the matter at hand. Is Doughty being greedy, or is his claim justified? 

Leave a comment in the section below to get the conversation going.

If you liked what you read give it some props, hit that FBLike button and tweet about it!

Tom Urtz is an NHL Featured Columnist, a New York Rangers Featured Columnist, a WWE Featured Columnist and a lifelong sports fanatic.

Tom can be found on Twitter by clicking the button below.