Every contender in the NHL carries a few contracts it would rather not have on the books, and the Kings are no different. Los Angeles has its share of deals that make sense in one light and look a lot less friendly in another, especially when you start sorting out the cap hits heading toward 2026-27.
The top end of the Kings’ roster still has value, but when the conversation turns to the three least attractive contracts on the current roster, the picture gets murkier. One of the names on that list is Drew Doughty, whose deal lands at No. 3.
Doughty’s contract is an 8-year deal with an $11.0 million AAV, and the reason it shows up here is pretty straightforward: his production has dipped, and injuries have become part of the story over the last couple of seasons. That said, there is one major factor working in his favor from a cap standpoint - he is entering the final year of the contract. Compared with the other two deals on this list, his number is in a different tier.
There’s no mystery about why the Kings made that commitment when they did. At the time, it was the right move, and Doughty had not really shown signs of slowing down until the 2024-25 season, when he suffered a major ankle injury in the first half of the regular season.
Even now, the resume still carries weight. Doughty remains one of the NHL’s highest-paid defensemen with that $11 million cap hit, but the issue is simple: with his age and his declining offensive output, he is no longer playing like someone who should be earning well over $10 million in AAV.
He’s still an established veteran who has earned respect from players, coaches, and fans around the league over the last couple of decades. The problem for the Kings is that the recent performance hasn’t matched the price tag.
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