Another season of Doughty's prime where he woefully underachieves relative to his talent level and his contract. I realize the Kings sucked these two seasons, but I think it's fair to ask how much blame the man playing half the game gets for the Kings being a bottom 5 team the last two seasons?
I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think this contract is going to age well. The next season, whenever it happens is a pretty big one for Doughty.
Absolutely his share of it. I've long said the guy playing half the game should get his credit for how the team does and in 2018 he had arguably his best NHL season, him Kopitar and Quick were the only reasons this was a playoff team and it showed. Doughty was nearly a 60% CF% against a Stanley Cup finalist and the best line in the league for the series vs. VGK. One ES Goal against (eat a dick, Toby Reider). When Martinez and Fantenberg replaced him on the top pairing for Game 2, they were 25% and 33%. That's an absolutely insane difference, especially in the friggin playoffs at the pro level, and emblematic of his season.
Last two years? Team has gone how Drew has gone. Drew has a good game, the team does as well. Bad game? We lose. So the position in the standings has a lot to do with Drew as a lot of the damage was done with him on the ice. Roy and Walker et. al. have mostly held down the bottom pairings very well (though until they both truly emerged the 2nd pairing was sketchy as well).
We see the flashes, at least. That last 7 game streak he was back to mostly normal. He has dominant games when he's engaged. It's hard to say what it is. Turning 30? Having a kid(s)? body finally broken down? Disengagement? Bad team (with an AHLer as a partner)? All of the above?
I think one good thing about his cockiness is he isn't just going to roll over and I suspect we see a Doughty closer to 2018 than 2020 next year. I just find it funny people are willing to bury him after a year and a half while other top d-men get alibis for years.
