Drew Doughty's Future With The Los Angeles Kings In Doubt?

Drew Doughty Rejects Big Contract Offer From LA Kings

At the end of the 2010-11 NHL season, not one person would have thought that the Kings superstar, Drew Doughty, would have still been sitting unsigned in September. Unfortunately for the Kings, that is in fact the case and whats even worse is the situation is not improving. Its been noted several times this off-season that the Kings and Doughty have not had easy negotiations, but things are becoming very serious for the Kings. The Kings recently offered Doughty their "last-ditch effort"-type contract which was said to be a nine-year deal, where he would have received an annual salary of $6.8 million which would have tied Anze Kopitar for the highest cap-hit on the team. With their best possible offer, and a more than reasonable one at that, being rejected, things are not looking bright for Doughty's future in Los Angeles. With training camp right around the corner and it looking less and less likely that he will be able to come to an agreement by the time the season starts, options are beginning to thin out for Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi. According to people involved, the Kings management will sit down and discuss what path they want to go down with their franchise player. I'm not expecting Lombardi to move Doughty anytime soon, but if the hold-out continues into October that might be the only option left. With such a great player involved, this situation is beyond interesting and one to definitely keep an eye on.