Kings GM on Doughty contract: ?I guess now it?s their move?

So much for the notion that Shea Weber's contract resolution with the Predators would grease the gears on Drew Doughty's new contract with the Los Angeles Kings.

Via Rich Hammond of LA Kings Insider, GM Dean Lombardi said there haven't been any discussions with the restricted free-agent defenseman in the last two weeks.

From Hammond:

The Kings have a long-term offer on the table, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see the issue extend into late August, or perhaps even into September. It's worth noting that Doughty's agent, Don Meehan, also represented Evgeni Nabokov when, in 2002, Nabokov held out before signing a contract with the San Jose Sharks (and then-GM Lombardi) in late October.

As for the current Doughty negotiations, Lombardi said today, "I think it's fair to say that in the last conversation, we set the parameters, as to where we feel his contract should be. We talked about a number of scenarios, and I guess now it's their move. They never really responded."

Well, this'll do little to quell the holdout chatter.

Earlier this week, Bobby Scribe of Surly and Scribe had a Doughty contract negotiation update that stated patience was "wearing thin":

So, Drew Doughty wants a long-term deal & Dean Lombardi prefers that as well though a back up mid-term agreement (5 years) is still in play. Drew Doughty wants a specific type of cash distribution throughout the long-term deal plus veto power on any trade so he can choose his destination but Lombardi wants to keep the cash more steady from one year to another and needs a more flexible no movement or no trade clause, depending on the rest of the terms?including getting rid of the NMC/NTC all together if the deal makes sense for L.A.

Please recall that Doughty can't get a no-movement/no-trade clause until he "qualifies for Group 3 Unrestricted Free Agency," as per the CBA. Doughty goes unrestricted after four more seasons, so the debate over the NMC/NTC is for later in the term. (For example, Steven Stamkos's NMC is for 2015-16 only.)

Interesting that both sides (reportedly) want to go longer than five years, given that's how long Stamkos went with the Lightning. We still think they dodge the holdout bullet and get this done.

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