Report: Drew Doughty hints at leaving the Kings!

The defenseman dropped a bomb!

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Report: Drew Doughty hints at leaving the Kings!
Keystone Press

Defenseman Drew Doughty is at the core of the Los Angeles Kings, but he may not be forever.

In an interview with Matt Larkin of The Hockey News, Doughty doesn't Dodge the questions about his future in California. He will remain with the Kings only if they stay competitive and a contender. 

“My first love will always be L.A.,” he said. “It’s one of the best organizations in all of sports, not just hockey. It’s unbelievable. They treat us first-class, and it’s a good place to play. Living in Los Angeles, you can’t beat it. I’d love to re-sign in L.A. But if our team isn’t going in the right direction…

"I want to win Cups. I don’t give a s--- where I play. I just want to win Cups, and that’s the bottom line.”

The blue liner is set to become a free agent in 2019 after the last year of his current contract that gives $7M annually. He will look for a pay raise, and if he hits the market, he will become the most coveted defenseman on it. 

The Kings only made the post-season once since winning their second Stanley Cup in 2014. The team fired their general manager Dean Lombardi and coach Darryl Sutter to replace them with Rob Blake and John Stevens, respectively, which enchants Doughty. 

“Dean and Darryl were great for the organization and great for me as a player,” Doughty said. “I love them so much. They’re awesome. At the same time, it was necessary to make a change, I’m not saying that Dean should have been gone, but we needed a coaching change, and we made great decisions there.”

Let's see if the change will prevent Doughty from changing teams...