Will Drew Doughty Test the Free Agency Waters in 2 years???

By Jeff Duarte
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Updated: June 16, 2017

Oh Dewy.

Yesterday, Los Angeles Kings’ All-Star defenseman Drew Doughty was a special guest on the Tim & Sid show, on Canada’s 24/7 sport’s channel Sportsnet and caused a bit of a stir. Whether intentionally or not, Doughty may/or may have not admitted that he may test free agency, once his current contract with the Kings expires at the end of the 2018-19 season in two years time.

(photo credit to sportsnet.ca)

Sitting comfortably in the studio with co-host and fellow Portuguese/Canadian Sid Seixeiro, Doughty had this to say,

“I don’t know what’s going to happen? They may trade me in a year? It’s out of my control. If the opportunity was there to re-sign with the Kings, I’d love to do that.”

Hearing this, it gave me a sigh of relief to know that the Norris Trophy winning “Dewy” would love to stay as a King. But then he said this,

“But at the same time, I may want to test the waters. You never know what’s going to happen. It’s two years away.”

And my heart sunk to my stomach.

The reality of sports today is that it is extremely rare for an athlete to stay with one organization for his entire career, as sports isn’t just a game, but a business as well with big money involved. Doughty possibly wanting to test the free agent market in two years time is not unheard of in today’s world, and as someone pointed out to me last night, Doughty has nothing left to accomplish in Los Angeles. This is so true. After nine seasons with the Kings, we have all watched this talented defenseman go from a doe eyed rookie with massive potential to one of, if not the best overall defenseman in the NHL and world today, with two Stanley Cup rings, a Norris Trophy, a 3-time All-Star, a World Cup and a two time Olympic Gold Medalist. Still as a Kings’ fan, as much as it is a reality, it’s still a frightening and gut punching thought that Drew Doughty could leave the Kings and play for someone else in the near future, and choose to do so. Most of us I’m sure would love to see Doughty retire here in Los Angeles after helping lead the Kings’ to another (or more) Stanley Cup victory(ies) and win another (or many) Norris Trophy(ies) in the armor of the LA Kings. Doughty currently has an AAV of $7,000,000 and won’t be cheap for the Kings to re-sign either, nor should he be.

We here at CaliSports News would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this topic! Is this a serious cause for concern, or is this just “Dewy being Dewy” and an over-reaction? Let us know in the comments below!