NHL notebook: Kings' Doughty gets eight-year extension

[June 30, 2018] 

The Los Angeles Kings and stalwart defenseman Drew Doughty have agreed to terms on an eight-year contract extension, the team announced Friday.

Financial terms of the deal, which will keep Doughty with the Kings through the 2027 season, were not disclosed, though a report from Sportsnet has the average annual value just shy of $11 million.

That figure would make Doughty, 28, one of the highest-paid players in the league. The deal can become official with the start of free agency Sunday.

Doughty has one year remaining on the eight-year, $56 million contract he signed with the Kings in September 2011. He won the Norris Trophy as the league's top defender in 2016 and was a finalist for it three other times, including last season, when he posted a career-high 60 points (10 goals, 50 assists).

--The Washington Capitals announced that associate coach Todd Reirden has been promoted to replace Barry Trotz as the team's head coach.

It's the first head-coaching opportunity for Reirden, who was being groomed for the job under Trotz in Washington.

The job became vacant when Trotz resigned last Monday following an inability to agree on a new contract. Trotz was hired by the New York Islanders last Thursday.

--The Capitals have re-signed defenseman Michal Kempny to a four-year deal, the team announced.

Apr 14, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Jeff Carter (77) and Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty (8) celebrate a goal in the second period of the game one of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the San Jose Sharks at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters Picture Supplied by Action Images

Acquired in a February trade with the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a third-round pick, Kempny will make $10 million over the life of the deal.

Kempny, 27, recorded two goals and one assist in 22 games after the trade, then pitched in two goals and three assists during the playoffs as the Capitals won the Stanley Cup.

--Field Level Media

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