Ken Holland on Drew Doughty: 'I'm not trading ya'

Holland went on SiriusXM NHL Radio Saturday and shut down any idea that Doughty could be moved before his deal runs out.

David Pagnotta

@TheFourthPeriod

#GoKingsGo GM Ken Holland tells us on @SiriusXMNHL that contract talks w/ Drew Doughty haven't started yet, but he told Drew: "'I'm not trading ya.' We're going to find an extension at the appropriate time. In my mind, there's no doubt he'll be back with (the Kings) next year."

That's about as clear as a GM gets about a player on an expiring contract. Doughty is in the last year of the 8-year, $88 million deal he signed back in 2018, which carries an $11 million cap hit and ends after this season. With no extension done, a Kings team that hits a rough patch would usually start hearing his name in trade talk. Holland just took that off the table before it could start.

None of this is new for Holland, either. Back at the draft in June, he said the Kings wouldn't extend Doughty over the summer. The plan was to let him play out 2026-27 and see where both he and the team stood. Holland said at the time that Doughty's 'desire is to finish as an LA King and only put on one team's jersey,' and that nothing would happen unless the 2 of them sat down and decided together. The new piece is the timing: Holland now says the talks will come 'at the appropriate time,' and there's no doubt in his mind Doughty is back next year.

David Pagnotta

@TheFourthPeriod

Holland & Doughty spoke in the summer about his future. He wants to play, Kings want to keep it going too. They'll figure this out when the time comes. Also: Holland confirmed Turcotte returns to the lineup tonight for LA. Fiala & Zuccarello inching closer to their returns.

Doughty has been sending the same message from his side. In late October he told TSN he thinks he can play past 40, that Holland 'knows what I want,' and that he plans to take a team-friendly deal to stay in LA. When a franchise player volunteers to take a discount and the GM says he's not getting traded, that's 2 people waiting on paperwork, not a standoff.

He's also got the C now. Doughty was named captain in September after Anze Kopitar retired. He's the last King left from both the 2012 and 2014 Cup teams, and trading the guy you just gave the C to would've been a bad look for everyone. The open question is the price. Doughty is coming off $11 million a year, and his role is shrinking: TSN had him averaging 20:58 a night through his first 9 games, well under his 25:57 career average. That gap is what 'team-friendly' will have to cover.

For now LA has more pressing problems. Holland confirmed Turcotte is back in the lineup tonight against the Penguins, and Fiala and Zuccarello are getting close to returning. The Doughty deal can wait until spring, or whenever Holland decides the time is right. Either way, Doughty isn't going anywhere.