Drew Doughty: How He Compares to the 17 Top-Paid Defenseman in the NHL

Drew Doughty finally ended his holdout with the Los Angeles Kings this week, signing an eight-year deal worth $56 million. This is certainly a good move for the Kings, locking down one of the league's best defenseman for a long period of time.

Some eyebrows have been raised due to the length and dollar amount of the deal, but after Shea Weber signed for a deal worth $7.5 million a year, the Doughty singing should not be a surprise.

Currently, there are a number of defensemen with large or lucrative contracts, and what is more interesting to take a look at is the value of Doughty and his contract versus other players in the league. While Doughty is certainly a premier player, there are other defensemen making less money that some may feel have more to offer on the ice.

For the sake of this argument, we examine only the defensemen that have contracts granting them over $5 million a season.  Some may be worth every penny, while others are clearly not worth the cap hit.

On an overall level, how does Doughty's game compare to those other D-men making top dollars? 

Lubomir Visnovsky

Lubomir Visnovsky is an offensive talent and is widely overlooked as an NHL player.  For the next two seasons for the Anaheim Ducks, he will be making $5.6 million a year. Visnovsky led all NHL defenseman last season with 68 points in 81 games.  Not too shabby for a 34-year-old.  Now at 35, can he continue that pace?  If he does, will he still be due for a raise considering his age? Doughty, from top to bottom, offers a more complete game than Visnovsky.  He simply can do more when away from the puck than Visnovsky and in 2011-2112, you will most likely see them have comparable numbers on the score sheet.  Not that Doughty will reach 68 points, but it is hard to imagine Visnovsky replicating that performance. Advantage: Doughty

Zdeno Chara

It is very difficult to argue against the value of Zdeno Chara's contract after he captained the Boston Bruins to their first Stanley Cup triumph since 1972.

Though 34 years old, Chara is still a commodity in the NHL with his looming size, physical presence and overall terrific play.

He will earn $6.9 million a year for the next six years and will then receive $4 million for the 2017-2018 season. He has shown no signs of slowing down and you can say that he is still in his prime.  Due to leadership, character and ability, I would give him the nod over Doughty as far as overall value.

Advantage: Chara

Jay Bouwmeester

The Calgary Flames probably wish they had a do-over with the signing of Jay Bouwmeester.  Still a pretty good defenseman, it is difficult to justify the $6.68 million a year he will receive for the next three seasons.  

Bouwmeester has never had the same offensive production in his two years in Calgary since coming over from the Florida Panthers. He had a pedestrian four goals and 20 assists in 82 games last season. The Flames missed the playoffs again, and Bouwmeester's inconsistencies have played a significant role in their demise.

This one is a layup, as Doughty has much more upside and is easily a much better player.

Advantage: Doughty

Brent Seabrook

It is very difficult to determine if Brent Seabrook is a better defenseman than Drew Doughty.  I do think that the Chicago Blackhawks are getting more bang for there buck, considering they already have a high-priced defenseman in Duncan Keith.  Seabrook will make $5.8 million a year for the next five seasons and had a better offensive season than Doughty in 2010-2011, registering 48 points in 82 games.  He also has a Stanley Cup on his resume.

Seabrook will have a terrific year this year, but Doughty may have better hockey sense and in the long run, he will develop into a better two-way defenseman than Seabrook.  You can also point to the 2010 Olympics where Doughty was logging minutes in the top four defensive parings, while Seabrook found himself with limited ice time in critical games due to the speed of the game.

It is a close one, but overall, Doughty may have a better package to offer.

Advantage: Doughty

Duncan Keith

Both Doughty and Duncan Keith were in the running for the Norris Trophy in 2010, but Keith prevailed and brought home the hardware.  Speaking of the 2010 Olympic games, no defenseman logged more ice time on Team Canada than Keith.  

Keith has been on better teams than Doughty, but that may be the only argument in favor of Doughty being a better player.  Keith still has it all and will be revamped for another run for the Norris this season.

Keith will make $5.5 million a year for the next eight seasons in Chicago (a bargain if there ever was one).  With $1.5 million less of a cap hit than Doughty and to date a better overall pedigree, Keith gets the nod.

Advantage: Keith 

James Wisniewski

James Wisniewski cannot hold a candle to Drew Doughty but oddly enough, the Columbus Blue Jackets, in somewhat of a desperate move to acquire talent, signed Wizzy to a six-year, $5.5 million a year contract in 2011.

Wisniewski does bring some offense to the table.  He has also given up over close to a million dollars in salary over the last five years due to fines and suspensions.  That's a lot of cake.

No doubt he is a talented player, but his recent suspension for a vicious head shot further adds to the notion that he is a mentally unstable player.  If they do not regret it already, rest assured Columbus will be extremely unhappy about this contract in three years.

Advantage: Doughty 

Nicklas Lidstrom

Some would love to play the age card and proclaim that Doughty is the better of the two due to his age and promise.

You can't do that.  Comparing any defenseman to the Detroit Red Wings Nicklas Lidstrom is unfair. There is no current player close to matching his accomplishments or what he still can bring to the table.  Nearing retirement, he inked a one-year $6.2 million deal this past offseason.

Is it worth signing a 41-year-old vet at such a high price?  You bet it is.  This old man is still the best in the business.

Advantage: Lidstrom

Brian Campbell

Since he is extremely overpaid, Brian Campbell's skills are not appreciated.  Now that he and his $7.1 million a year for the next five years are in Florida, he will not be under as much of a microscope.  

You may even see Campbell as the Panthers' All-Star game representative in 2011-2012.  Although he would not be able to move a mouse away from the front of the crease, he still moves the puck well and is a great skater.  

Regardless, he still does not have the same gifts as Doughty.

Advantage: Doughty 

Andrei Markov

I'm not sure we will ever know how good of a defenseman Andrei Markov will be due to his injury history. He played all of seven games in the 2010-2011 season, and there are still a number of question marks surrounding his knee moving forward.

The Montreal Canadiens have both his $5.57 million a year salary for the next three years, as well as Scott Gomez's bloated salary slowing them down.

Markov was once a skilled player, but many feel his career is ending.

Advantage: Doughty 

Shea Weber

This is the man that Doughty may be compared to for the rest of his career. The Nashville Predators Shea Weber has everything you are looking for in a defenseman.  He is big, physical, defensively sound, has a heavy shot and above all else, is a tremendous leader.  

The Preds were unable to land Weber for an extended period of time, as he signed a one-year, $7.5 million contract following arbitration.  He will be an restricted free agent next summer and must be licking his chops after the Doughty signing.

Though debatable, Shea Weber is the better player considering the physical element he brings to the game. He has also scored 16 goals in his last two seasons.  It is a close one, and if it were October of 2010, I would go with Doughty. As of now, If I was a GM and had the choice, I would go with Weber. 

Advantage: Weber 

Sergei Gonchar

Once a dynamic NHL defender, Sergei Gonchar has become an afterthought.  It was puzzling that the Ottawa Senators dished the veteran a three-year deal worth $5.5 million a year in the summer of 2010.  With two years left, and a grim 27 points and a minus -15 rating in 2010-2011, I'm sure the Sens cannot wait for this contract to expire.

No comparison necessary.

Advantage: Doughty 

Kimmo Timonen

Kimmo Timonen of the Philadelphia Flyers has a lot of positives to his game.  He is skilled with the puck and is great on the power play.  The veteran has missed very little action in the last six years and his point totals are usually in the high 30s or low 40s.

Unfortunately, his abilities are not that of Doughty's, and his current contract of $6.3 million a year for the next two years is not one you want to have on the books.  Again, while Timonen can bring some "O," Doughty is a more versatile defenseman.

Advantage: Doughty 

Keith Yandle

It's a shame that Keith Yandle has to play hockey in the desert. If he played for any other notable NHL team, his contract extension could have been bigger.  Yandle signed a five-year extension with the Phoenix Coyotes during the summer of 2011.  It will pay him a bargain of $5.2 million a year.  

Yandle notched 59 points last season, placing him third amongst NHL defensemen, and I do not believe we have seen the best of his game yet.  He is undervalued and unappropriated and is worthy of the same money that Doughty and Weber are receiving.

Call it bold, call it controversial, but you can flip a coin on this one.  It's tails.

Advantage: Yandle 

Dan Boyle

Dan Boyle is still a big part of the San Jose Sharks and is a premier blueliner.  He has played well on the international level and for the last three seasons has tallied at least 50 points for the Sharks.

For the market of NHL defenseman today, some may feel as though Dan Boyle may be adequately paid with three years left on a $6.6 million a year deal. 

Boyle has had the luxury of playing with some very good teams while in San Jose and because of this, the fact that he is not the best defensive defenseman has not been exposed.  

Doughty can bring more to his in-zone coverage than Boyle can and will contribute just as much on the power play moving forward.

Advantage: Doughty

Dion Phaneuf

For whatever reason, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke can not seem to find the right price point for hockey players.  In Dion Phaneuf's case, he missed the mark by a country mile.  Phaneuf still has three years left on absurd deal paying him $6.5 million a season.  

Phaneuf is a solid hockey player and did amass 30 points last season in 66 games. In all fairness, he has never had a full season in Toronto due to injuries.  A player of his caliber, though, should be making around $4 million a year.  

Doughty has more game.

Advantage: Doughty

Mike Green

Mike Green is a power-play machine for the Washington Capitals and in the last three seasons has had two 70-plus point years.  He is simply offensive, though, and his game has continuously come into question during the postseason when defense matters most.

After a terrific 2009-2010 season where he was a Norris Trophy finalist, he went flat in the playoffs, registering three points in seven games.  Last season brought more of the same as he only accounted for one goal in eight games.  

The Caps rely heavily on Green for offense, yet most of his points come on the power play, and he is not nearly as effective of a player five-on-five.  He can also be invisible in his own zone, which can present a problem.

Green will be a restricted free agent next summer, after finishing his contract that pays him $5.25 million a year. Unless the 26-year-old Green leads the Caps on a mythical playoff run this season, you may see him without a significant raise in 2012. 

Advantage: Doughty

Dustin Byfuglien

One of the heroes of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, Dustin Byfuglien finally reached his payday towards the end of last season with a five-year deal worth $5.2 million a season.  

In reality, Byfuglien should have led all defensemen in scoring last season, but after he signed his contract extension with the then-Atlanta Thrashers, he finished with 10 points in his last 24 games.  That can't be a good sign, and his offseason arrest and weight problems did not help, either.

Hopefully putting that in the rear view mirror, Big Buff now finds himself in a true hockey market again with the Winnipeg Jets.  In Winnipeg, one would hope that he will play at the level he is capable of.  

Byfuglien is an asset, but you don't see Doughty taking nights off the way Big Buff does. Doughty's game has more upside as he plays with better angles and is a better natural defenseman. 

Advantage: Doughty