Just had a phone conversation with Kings governor Tim Leiweke, who gave his thoughts on the Kings’ contract agreement with Drew Doughty for eight years and $56 million…
LEIWEKE: “Look, he’s a special kid and he’s a good kid. These things are never easy, and sometimes people take them personally, but I think he’s going to be fine. I guarantee you we’re fine. I’m happy that we got it done. I think Dean did a great job and I respect Drew and Don (Meehan). They had the right to work through this the way they worked through it. So the important thing is that we have this kid locked in for eight years. I just want to go win Cups. Drew is going to help us do that. What the fans should understand is, this kid is a warrior. I’m glad he’s on our side. I’m glad he’s here for eight years and I’m glad we got it done, because I think the world of him.”
Question: Based on your understanding, is it fair to say that both sides moved a bit? You guys came off your $6.8-million limit, and they agreed to eight years, which they seemed to be resisting. Is that a fair assessment?
LEIWEKE: “Dean did a good job here. Dean is unbelievable with the budget and the forecasting and, as you know, he’s a professor when it comes to the boxes and forecasting where we’re going long-term. So he was passionate about protecting ourselves with some flexibility here. I feel good about the fact that we have someone that has the vision that Dean has, long-term, and is keeping the nucleus together. But he’s also smart, and he knows eight years is eight years. And this kid is 21 years old. He’s going to 29, and still in his prime, when he’s done with this contract. That’s a good thing for the franchise. The guy that isn’t mentioned here, Mr. Anschutz, he has broken the bank here. We are sending a very strong message to our fans. We’re committed to winning, and we just proved it again.
“When you look at the commitments that we made this summer, when you add this to Mike Richards and his long-term deal, and Jack Johnson and the commitment we tied up there, and then going out and adding Simon Gagne, we spent more money this summer than in the history of this franchise. We always said, if we get close, we will come with our guns blazing, and we just blazed. I’m glad it’s done. I want our fans to understand that now, this is all about creating an environment to win the Cup, and that’s what Drew is going to help us do. We don’t look back. We only look forward now, and eight years is a good forward.”
cups. as in more then one. I like it.
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joey No-No Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
@Jefreyryan, that was the first thing I saw too…I like it A LOT!
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GkingsG99 Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:05 pm
@Jefreyryan, Exactly my thoughts.
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Luuuuuuucfan Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:14 pm
@Jefreyryan,
Yes I caught that too! So excited! That should be everyone’s focus, not just one, but let’s keep it going!!
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TD Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:25 pm
@Luuuuuuucfan, Agree, but let’s win one before we starting demanding CUPS! Go Kings Go! If i’m DD I’m flying to Vegas for an all nighter before I need to be bzck in LA tomorrow morning! I’m Rich B@#tch!
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rogiesbackup Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 11:10 pm
@TD, Gonna predict that this contract will propel Dewey to ONE of his best seasons here with the Kings.
great to have Dewey back! Best news possible!
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I don’t think DD is worth 7 million a year today. However,I am glad he’s signed and happy it’s long term. Hoping he can become a great player. DL and the Kings needed to get this done. Time to move forward.
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lvkingaholic Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 8:49 pm
@Crown Royal, maybe not this year or next……. but wait, 7′s gonna be a bargain when this kid hits his stride…….
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red49er Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 9:47 am
@lvkingaholic, so long as he doesn’t piss and moan about how under paid he is in a few years after he wins his first norris trophy
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Alton Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
@Crown Royal,
I agree. He is not the top player, Kopi is. Glad it is done, but a little dissapointed in him.
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Dave Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 8:54 pm
@Alton, Kopi wasn’t worth 6.8 when he signed either, gotta pay for potential these days.
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xeropoint Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:00 pm
@Dave, This.
Rudedogg Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
@Dave, I agree he wasn’t worth it when he signed too
thelexsters Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:03 pm
@Alton, same here
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gmo Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
@Crown Royal,
sadly i agree with you…not worth 7mil but happy he is signed too go kings go
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Alan Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:06 pm
@Crown Royal,
Not worth it?….look at the stats this guy has put up in ust 3 years
His nine career game-winning goals ranks fourth all-time among Kings defensemen and his 17 career power-play goals ranks ninth all-time. He’s also 12th on the Kings all-time list in career goals (33), 13th in career assists (93) and points (126), and tied for 15th on the all-time list in career plus/minus rating (plus-16).
All that before he is 22
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Crown Royal Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:57 pm
@Alan,
His age has no relavence in terms of his performance when we are talking about 7 million a year. DD has the potential to be a great player. Currently is not a great player every night. Weber, Chara, Keith, or Lindstrom deserve that kind of money for what they do every night.
DD may be a bargain at 7 million in the future but his play so far does not warrant that kind of money. I still believe he’s being over paid now but as stated I’m glad he’s signed.
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Dominick Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 10:14 pm
@Crown Royal, I would suspect that DD gave in on years as long as DL gave in on price. Neither got what they wanted, but both got the consolation prize. DD wanted short term, and DL wanted 6.8 long term.
Jim Martin Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 10:28 pm
@Crown Royal, I know one thing, he has to play better then he did last year. Too many mistakes , both mental and physical.
Roger Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 8:14 am
@Alan, What does that say about our past d men?
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WOOOOOOO!
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Good work lets bring the cup home!
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LGK Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
@DC5275, we brought the doughnut home let’s hope the doughnut brings home the cup.
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sweet i hope it comes true
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There’s something I’m missing here. Was the holdout worth the gain? Now he’s got to EARN that money. And because of the holdout, I’ll be watching closely.
If he plays like he did last year, the Kings were taken to the cleaners.
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Dominick Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 8:52 pm
@SouthbayFan, Last year statisticly DD was even better. He didn’t score as many points, but everywhere else he improved.
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SLIM Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
@Dominick,
It seems like it has become a full time job trying
to get some people to understand the FACTS….
I have had to stop myself from posting at some “fans”
with all my might..Glad it’s over and ended well..
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Dominick Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
@SLIM, Glad it’s over too.
Bleb Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
@SouthbayFan, 8 years of watching closely seems like a long time to me.
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The only bank of Anschutz this broke was his piggy bank. Chump change for that man. With that said, thanks uncle Phil!
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Who Knows? Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:07 pm
@xeropoint, Agreed. I read somewhere we had the richest owner in the league.
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Mike in Oregon Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:29 pm
@xeropoint, No Kidding. He didn’t come CLOSE to breaking the bank. Maybe his weekly allowance.
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PRMan Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 2:41 am
Easy to say when it’s not our money. He’s earned every penny he has through smart business timing. Thanks, Uncle Phil for you tremendous contribution this summer and for revitalizing downtown. Now let’s win some Cups!
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Shakes Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 4:39 am
@PRMan,
Agreed- anyways you slice it it’s a lot of money and maybe it’s about time people stopped random rants against ownership when he has provides one thing this team needed: stability
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Any word on the Trent Hunter front?
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PRMan Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 2:41 am
@Kings Fan, We can’t afford him anymore…
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Love it!
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Wow, I can’t believe we went from loggerheads to 8 years! This is huge news! GKG!
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Had to be the highest paid player eh Drew? You better win the Norris and Conn Smyth trophies then!
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lvkingaholic Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
@Jeremy, he will, give him time……….
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lvkingaholic Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 8:58 pm
@lvkingaholic, and to all knuckleheads………. me included, if the kid deserves to get boo’d , then boo him……… not just for spite, this is gonna be one hell of a season…….. see you all at frozen fury
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King Alex Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:49 pm
@lvkingaholic, Agreed. Nobody wearing a Kings uniform who is under contract should be boo’d by a Kngs fan.
PRMan Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 2:44 am
@lvkingaholic, uh, when Captain Rob Blake ripped the C off his chest during a playoff run because of money, making himself a huge distraction to the team, that was boo-worthy.
i like this comment from TL
“I just want to go win Cups. Drew is going to help us do that”
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RobSD Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
@gmo,
When I read that quote, I pretty much forgot about this whole mess and got even more excited. Something we have never had here in LA before. An owner that wants to win.
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Jeff Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:41 pm
@RobSD, we actually have had an owner here in LA who wanted to win- Bruce McNall. He was a crook, but he was passionate about the team and he definitely wanted to win.
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RobSD Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:49 pm
@Jeff,
Oh yeah! My bad… Well in a long time then. We haven’t been good since Bruce.
Roger Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 8:18 am
@Jeff, He wanted to win so bad he wrote hot checks !
Glad it’s done and it’s not my money so I can careless….If he’s Norris Trophy candidate this season nobody will complain that he makes more than Kopi
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Ripoff. I sure hope he plays like a $7 m guy because we haven’t seen it yet.
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Perro Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 7:17 am
@5buckcolonnade, agreed. Way too much.
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“We always said, if we get close, we will come with our guns blazing, and we just blazed”. Hummm? I think it’s time for me to blaze too!
Nice job DL and crew…DD now prove you are worth it!
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colo king fan Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:02 pm
@Cry Baby, puff puff give yo!!!
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great. now sign Kopitar to a deal that pays $1 more
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Dominick Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 8:54 pm
@Shuchuck, In 5 years Kopi will be worth more than 8 mill. Just watch.
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Stuart Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 8:56 pm
@Dominick, and you know AK wont say he wants to be the highest paid King, but he definitely will be… He’s proven.
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Dominick Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
@Stuart, The only reason he isn’t now, is because his contracts not up right now.
Bring the heat drew!
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“We always said, if we get close, we will come with our guns blazing, and we just blazed”
Love that line!
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pat Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:16 pm
@Serenity Now, i love that line too
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“…eight years is a good forward.”
Indeed sir, thank you.
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Otto Ped Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
@Irish Pat, It’s also a good defenseman
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Man I’m so pumped, time to drink up! I am looking forward to the Vegas trip now. Go Kings Go!
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I love now if we can give voynov and hickey a year to develop together and next year be our 3rd d-pairing were gonna be so Damn good this year and a dynasty starting next year….believe it….LET’S GO KINGS!!!!!!!!
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Good job Timmy! I have renewed faith in the Kings organization. Great move. Stanley Cup contending move. Forget my earlier rants today. It’s all good. This team is ready to make it’s biggest statement in their history.
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SLIM Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:16 pm
@Poorman,
Good on you Poorman…Way to step up..
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Dominick Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
@Poorman, Hope you read my comment too you earlier.
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Poorman Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 11:50 pm
@Dominick, I did, and said in another comment that I was in agreement with you. Thanks for standing with me dude. And look what happened hahah!
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KC23 Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 12:32 am
@Poorman, Was also in agreement as much as I hated to.
It’s all good now!!!
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That’s a LOT of coin…but 8 years is a LOT of time. This is a somewhat unique situation for the Kings. I can’t remember having had a “franchise player” of Doughty’s youth, who’s also a seasoned veteran. The sky’s the limit for this kid, but he’s got to play under control. We know he’s capable of making errors of over-exuberance, and the whopper of a deal he’s inking could induce him to play out of control at first. He’s only human. This is where good coaching counts.
We’ve got a monster team. GO KINGS!
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mash-ola Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:13 pm
@Ron Reynolds, I agree 100%. Both sides gave in a little… More money on the Kings part, and more years on Doughty’s part. I hope all parties can move onward and upward.
I just hope Doughty can get in shape by the time the season starts. Doing mediocre skills with a junior hockey team hardly qualifies him as being in good shape. He definitely has some catching up to do. Personally, I wouldn’t suit him up for any games until they get to Europe. Why risk injuring something like a groin, etc, for the sake of the fans that want to see him in Anaheim or Vegas. I’d be shocked, in fact if he is in the lineup of either tomorrow or Saturday’s game…
GO KINGS GO!
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The team budged, the kid signed, let’s move on and play some hockey, eh? Stupid for anybody to call out Doughty over this negotiation. It’s business, and you would do the same thing if you were in his skates!
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jesse Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
@Cowboy Bill, I agree. it was business and King fans need to understand this. Glad to see that it got done and now it is time to go get what we should have gotten in 1993: the Stanley Cup.
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Poorman Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 12:05 am
@jesse, Love this posting!
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I had a feeling we’d hear something today or tomorrow after listening to Luc on 570am this afternoon. He said he had a feeling it would get resolved real soon.
Expecting great things from the team this year!!
gkg!!!
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Finally! I hope Double D is ready to go cause the rest of us are. See ya’ll in Vegas Baby!!!! GKG.
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Kings most likely overpaid for the first couple of years but if DD develops as expected, the Kings will save themselves millions and millions over the last 3 years of this contract. Both sides can come away from this ordeal claiming victory because they each got what they wanted. Happy it got done. All that’s left to do now is win the cup. Should be a fun ride. GKG.
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fourtunato Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 10:30 pm
@Coach Mike, well said. I don’t like the fact he’s getting paid more than AK but the last contract is the richest usually.
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I love all these people saying that the Kings caved on this deal. For $600,000 more, they bought THREE MORE YEARS than Doughty originally wanted to give, and piece of mind that they won’t have to try re-sign Doughty and Kopitar in the same summer.
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CabbagesAndKings Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:03 pm
@KingMe20, Agreed. Kings got what they wanted, no question about it.
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KingMe20 Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
@KingMe20,
Correcting myself, $1.6 million extra over the contract. Still, to buy three more years, that’s a good price.
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When Kopi signed his deal. I thought it was way to much as well and now it is a great bargain. I think we will be thinking the same thing in a few years about this deal.
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Some pretty classics quotes. I like this Leiweke guy.
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All i’m going to say for now is wow. I’m glad it’s done, but I’m not sure how I feel about it. What I do know is that I will be holding that stick high and now I don’t know if I’ll ever be satisfied with DD. I almost feel about DD the way I felt about Kobe for the better half of his career. Hopefully sometime before DD retires I can respect him again and get behind him and cheer for him the way I once did…
Other than that, let’s play hockey now!!!
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F U G G I N’ H E L L! Let’s get this season started already!!!
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jesse Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:14 pm
@Mucker, I’m with you brother—LET’S GET THIS SEASON STARTED ALREADY!
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I have seats to the side of Leiweke and he is a fan. He cheers and even yells at the refs.Leiweke isnt just a CEO…watch him at the games and you know he wants to win !!!!
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Roger Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 8:23 am
@neil, where does he sit I want to thank him.
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I am ok with the deal. DL is thinking long term. Kopi, Richards, JJ, JW, now DD and others, all signed to a long term deals with different expiration dates allowing room for future negotiations or high trade value. Basically, DL has structured this team to be a serious contender and Cup winner for the next 5 years. He even has strucutred in players with significant contracts that can be unsigned freeing up cap space each year for new players or keeping those who have come up through our system.
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King Alex Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:38 pm
@DesertKing, You made terrific points & I completely agree!
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I want to cry! Halleluyah! However Voynov better stay!
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The Kings and DD were smart..They announced the deal when there is no baseball or basketball games on…
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Doughty caved also. He could potentially have given MILLIONS in UFA revenue for those 3 extra years he agreed to. He’s gambling with house money so to speak, but it’s still a serious investment he’s making to our franchise.
I do want to see how DL pays this out per year. Someone else mentioned that and it’s a really good point. He could be 6.8 for the first 5 and 7.333333 for the last 3 for all we know.
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lvkingaholic Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
@Cynic, don’t forget abut endorsments either…………. kids gonna be filthy, good for him
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I wanna see the Kings fall apart now that DD got the 200K. Trust me, It’s not gonna happen.
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CB14 Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
@Dominick, I wanna see Drew’s answer to the question, Drew, about a month ago you said “it’s not about the money.” Which would bring us to the conclusion it was about the length of the contract, yet you were offered a 7 to 9 year contract with an average cap hit of 6.8 and you turned it down, yet you just signed an 8 year deal worth 7 million per year, What Gives?
Feel free to answer that too Dominick, since you’ve been Drew’s biggest supporter of “it’s not the amount, it’s about the length” talk all this time.
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Dominick Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
It was confirmed he said 7 by Rich. I said that if he can’t have his years then the price is 7. I said he wants to protect his future and when the details come out I’m sure it will show. I said their are other reasons other than money and I still say there are.
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CB14 Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
@Dominick, I will give you credit, you’re sticking to your guns.
What do you mean, “it was confirmed he said 7 by Rich” I don’t know what you mean by that. 7 years, 7 mil per?
vplaza Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:48 pm
@Dominick,
$56M isn’t money? Protecting future…..future what? What he can earn in the future, that’s what. If it wasn’t about money…..oh, never mind.
Hmmm, in the end, he went for the money (higher avg salary, longer term) than the short term, which made the most sense if what was important was……never mind.
I’m glad the Kings got the length they wanted. Not as glad he got the $7M, since he seems to believe that he’s more valuable than Anze. But, this also means he has a lot to live up to now.
I’m moving on since he’s a part of the Kings again. But it shouldn’t have gotten this far, imho, if it truly wasn’t about the money.
Dominick Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:56 pm
@vplaza,
Ugggghh, if you say so dude.
xeropoint Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:26 pm
@CB14, IDK, giving up 3 years of UFA for a player of his caliber for that extra little bit, kind of proves it wasn’t just about the money, no? Giving up those years usually costs a lot more than we seemed to have given up.
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Good for you, sir Leiweke. And well done DL. You can go on vacation now or get a decent sleep at least. Again, thank you very much for your commitment.
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=*)
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I’m not a religious man, but THANK GOD!
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gmo Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:11 pm
@HawaiiKingsFan,
me neither but amen to that
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fourtunato Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 10:34 pm
@HawaiiKingsFan, Hey what island. I’m on a plane to Maui tomorrow. Maybe I can buy you a beer
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PRMan Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 2:51 am
@HawaiiKingsFan, while we’re in a religious mood, let’s pray for a Cup! Please, Lord, we’ve been very patient…
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“and we just blazed”
I love the Kings. Everything about them. And now I really love this guy Leiweke.
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When Kopi asks for 9 million a year…
Are all the Haters gonna come out again?
Good job Kings and Drew….
I never had a doubt this would come to fruition
and even blogged yesterday after the game to
expect some movement in next few days….
If you want to be like Philly and boo Santa Claus
that’s your business..But I hope we are better people than that…
Couldn’t be happier for our team and our fans and me..
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CB14 Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:14 pm
@SLIM, Mabye. But he won’t make it worse by saying, “it’s not about the money”, when it was obviously about the money this whole time. That’s what makes people like me who didn’t think that Drew was worth more than Kopi, dislike him even more. It’s like your parents always said, “lying only makes things worse.” Mabye Drew’s parents never told him that.
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xeropoint Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:28 pm
@CB14, Is 200k REALLY all that big of a leap here?
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CB14 Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 10:03 pm
@xeropoint, For Dean to not want to give up, No. For Drew to not want to sign, No. I agree Dean should’ve given in earlier, but Drew also should’ve given in earlier. Was an additional 200k a year worth all the hate Drew got for it? I don’t think it was.
Look, it goes both ways. Both sides gave a little, which i’m fine with. I just wish he wouldn’t have said all that stuff about “it’s not about the money”, and “when the truth comes out people will see i’m not the bad guy”. That just makes him look like a brat who when the truth came out, was the one who wanted more money. He didn’t want 5 years so that he could choose where he wanted to play as soon as possible, he wanted more money.
Dominick Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 11:01 pm
@CB14,
DL wanted his long term. DD didn’t want to give up his years. DL offered 6.8 for 7 to 9 years DD said no, if you want that many years the price is 7. DL said I’ll give you 6.8 for 6 years DD said no, give me 5 years or the 7 you can’t have it both ways. No one would talk for 2 months. DD sits during camp. DD signed today at 7 for 8 years.
DD didn’t get his years, but DL paid the 7. DL should of just paid the extra 200K from the start instead of blitzing the media with how he couldn’t afford to pay DD that much.
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CB14 Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 11:59 pm
@Dominick, Those are some good points. My only question to the thought that Dean should’ve given the additional 200k earlier is we don’t know if that’s what Drew said would get it done. Mabye he was asking for 7 mil for 6 years, and Dean wanted more UFA years if he was paying him more than Kopi. Like I said, as soon as Dean offered 6.8 for 6 years, the 8 year offer now has to go to 7 mil per year. Since we’re both in agreance with that, why didn’t it get done? I’m not asking you why because none of us really know, it’s just that it seems so obvious that if Dean was willing to go long term at 6.8 per year for 9 years, then go 6 years at 6.8 per year, it’s pretty clear to you and I that an 8 year deal would have to be worth more per year than a 6 year deal. Thus the 8 year at 7 mil per year makes perfect sense. Why didn’t it get done sooner is a good question.
If Drew told Dean a month ago that an 8 year deal worth 7 mil per year would get it done, I place the blame on Dean for the delay. But I think Dean knows that he would have to pay Drew more per year if the deal was longer than 6 years, thus I don’t think this was on Dean offering 200k more. I think they were holding out for even more money than 7 mil per year, and Drew finally caved in and said I’ll give you the extra 2 years you want if you give me the increase in salary over the 6 year 6.8 million dollar deal because you’re getting 2 of my UFA years.
The 6 year deal worth 6.8 per year likely had salaries like this:
1 – 6.0
2 – 6.5
3 – 6.5
4 – 7.0
5 – 7.3
6 – 7.5
The additional 2 years probably paid Drew like this:
7 – 7.5
8 – 7.7
Thus increasing the total value and cap hit from 6.8 to 7. I wish we could find out exactly what caused this deal to get done, but we probably won’t. Oh Well. I’m just glad it’s over and he can get back to playing Hockey, and we can get back to talking about hockey. Also I promise never to bring it up again, you have my word on that. You and vplaza can go on discussing it all you want. LOL
Bkrs-Bud Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 5:32 am
@Dominick, Is your real name Meehan? lol.
Wow, It is puck drop in a week and we will all be together!!!!! boys we are on the brink of what the RAYS did last night!!!
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Doughty will take early flight friday to LA to meet the team – Helene Elliott tweeted.
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lvkingaholic Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
@goldielockerd heard he buying milk and doughnuts as a show of grattitude………..
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Also, I know Tim gets a lot of crap, but I’ll never forget how he treated me when I left him a message on his answering machine about 10 years ago with some gripes I had about the ushers at Staples. He had Chris McGowan get a hold of me and got me into the season ticket holders meeting so I could ask him that question directly in front of everyone (and I wasn’t a STH). He gave a GREAT answer to it and personally made sure I had a forum to address the issue. I even hung out with Steve Heinze afterwards, nice guy.
TL does love this team and he does care about these fans. He’s a personable guy and I appreciate him. Calls it how he sees it. Gotta respect that.
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PRMan Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 2:55 am
@Cynic, Yeah. As far as I can see, his only fault is that in his excitement he sometimes promises what he can’t deliver, leading to his unfortunate nickname.
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So does this mean that he’ll be joining the team in Vegas?
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Glad it’s done. When he turns over the puck or any mistake the fans, players, and whole NHL knows how much he is making so I hope he matures in his game. He lost A LOT of respect with me, but more money for him. Love this franchise love this team on paper! Hope it’s injury free and bring the cup to LA. GO KJNGS GO!
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Great to have him back. Time will tell if the contract is worth it. If he becomes what we all think he will then it will be a steel 6-8 years from now.
SO glad this is FINALLY over!
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Time to order the NHL package tomorrow!
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Doughty is the face of the franchise. He has been the best player in the playoffs the past 2 seasons and his stats rank him among the best Defensemen in KINGS history in just 3 years. Would you guys rather the Kings pay him $7 mil a year or have them trade him to a team like coloumbus for draft picks. Start over again on the Defense and then have Doughty sign with Detroit, Pittsburg or NY Rangers?
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fourtunato Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 10:37 pm
@Alan, that puts it in perspective. If I had to watch DD win a cup in DET then come back and be president of whatever in LA my head would explode.
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Ater What I wrote about AEG to poorman today, Tim stated clearly where AEG stands now and their commitment to show fans that their serious is something that I will never question. Even if we don’t win anything, you can’t accuse AEG of not caring.
Good job AEG!
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Hockeysureshot Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
@Dominick, Well said, Dominick. We have an owner committed to winning. Not every team is that lucky.
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Dominick Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:28 pm
@Hockeysureshot, Did you guys ever change the posting options on your site yet? I haven’t checked it out for a while because I can’t post there as myself. Miss posting there though.
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I’m happy this is behind us! What a great 24 hours for the Kings – Great win in CO followed by this.
Now, let’s do the same to the Sucks tomorrow night!
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Been critical of Leiweke in the past, but he clearly is sending the message that the Kings will do what it takes financially to win the cup.
Glad this is done and behind us. Exciting time for the Kings!
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Frankly, this whole thing has made professional sports in general tiresome for me.
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Shakes Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 4:46 am
@HargleBargle,
Sorry.
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Penner-Kopi-Williams
Gagne-Richards-Brown
Clifford-Stoll-Hunter
Marleau-Lewis-Richardson
Mitchell-Doughty
Scuderi-Johnson
Green-Voynov
Now this is a lineup built to win many Stanley cups for LA.
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mike in LA Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
@mike in LA,
Oops I meant
Morreau. Wish we had Marleau.
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Dominick Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:30 pm
@mike in LA, Moreau is better for us. Marleau would just mix things up on the top 6. lol
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gmo Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:25 pm
@mike in LA,
i like your forward lines
no parse good….
westie only when he recovers and when needed….
i still think AM will get the spot over VV(i could be wrong) but i still would like to see these 2 split games so VV can gain some experience
go kings go
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looking forward to hear what doughty has to say about all of this
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Great compromise 7$ mill and commits to 8 years locked in til he is 29! Both sides come out happy I think
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Any Kings fan who has not already bought a ticket for an upcoming game should do so now (or at least with your next paycheck). You owe it to yourself and, frankly, you owe it to the club. I see lots of sold out games, too. Take a date. Buy tickets now to help Mr. Anschutz mend his broken bank account and to say “thank you”. Go Kings.
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kingfish Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 9:39 pm
@InTheCrease,
I hear ya, Im psyched too but If anything they owe us. Years of promises and failure to make the playoffs all of those years. I feel bad for long time season tix holders who’ve payed through the bad years. Mr Anschutz account is just fine, he has billions. But yeah attendance is gonna be tops this year
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fourtunato Reply:
September 29th, 2011 at 10:42 pm
@InTheCrease, I’ve had season seats for I guess 7 years or so. Every year at select a seat it was wide open. This year I logged on to the virtual select a seat (which I DO NOT like) and for the first time there was nothing better than what I had. A wasteland of filled seats
So what you are saying is correct. The Kings are poised to be the hottest ticket in town and we long (not as long as many many others of my brothers) suffering season ticket holders are going to finally reap the reward for our sticking with AEG and DL.
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I hope DD can repay the Kings generosity and belief in him. I don’t think he deserves more than Kopi, but glad he’s back. Can’t wait to see him skating with the CUP!!!!!
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http://youtu.be/twS9UtJaw7s?t=3m45s
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Now he can afford a mouthguard
GO KINGS GO!!!
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Now we can put our best team possible on the ice. Welcome back Drew. Now it’s time for you to shine. We need a big year from you Dewey!!!
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If he shows up in shape someone owes me 10 bucks! ha ha ha.
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thats alot of money for a kid that was very mediocre last year in comparison with his talent level. how about winning a playoff round before talking about cups lieweekly
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AEG pure class, Mr. Anschutz thank you for showing your commitment to this team. If this team fell short, it wasn’t because the lack of effort on your part.
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If i have to hear one more DUCKS fan tell me about how they have a cup and we don’t, i am going to puke. Time to win is now, let’s shut them up forever, for good…road t0 the cups baby
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Finally its done now it is time to win a cup settle for one for right now lol GO KINGS GO
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Man haven’t felt this good about being a Kings fan in a Long time! It’s frickin awesome to hear and see that these guys are committed to winning and throwing mediocrity out the door. My only concern now is if TM is the right guy get the job done. Hey he called a TO the other game…that’s a good start!
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My analysis after Leiweke admits “and we just blazed”…
“He was negotiating in a single room w/ 3 other individuals, one of them was a General Manager, and the other two, well hell the other two were acting like greedy females. God only knows what they were up to in there, and furthermore Kings Fans I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to learn that all four of them habitually smoked marijuana cigarettes….. reefers!”
Congrats Drew, now go do ladders & sprints for an hour!
Hope to see you in lethal form all season, and Voynov still make the team as well. Maybe you can even bribe him to stick around??
Go Kings!!!!
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Word just in, The deal got done when AEG agreed to buy Doughty and Simmons a summer home together. Way to go guys, glad you got it done.
DD time to earn the fat stacks you got. I hope you do??
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Imagine this: If there is no basketball this year. The Kings are the only pro LA sports team of the four major sports going this season! What this means is that the LA Kings are going to be the FOCUS of LA. They must capitalize on this opportunity! It is inherent that they MUST do well! Reasons for the pressure of success is that they are promoting for the new football stadium and they are the only pro game in town, right now! MONEY MONEY MONEY!!!! That’s actually a good thing for us. The extra money that would have gone to the Lakers, Dodgers, or Angels (If the baseball teams made the playoffs), is now coming towards the Kings. Go Kings Go!!!!
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Neil Ellis Shafton Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 1:30 pm
@MyNameisKing, Fortunetly this won’t happen. The focus on the Kings will only start if they make the playoffs, then you get the bandwagoners coming out.
Hockey is still a 2nd class professional sport here so LA only has 3 major sports.
Too many people don’t even understand the game, let alone know the name of 3 current Kings if you ask them.
The success of the Kings has nothing to do with getting a pro football team here. LA is the 2nd biggest market for football and has not been interested in getting a team here.
The Galaxy and Chivas USA are also professional sports teams here playing the most popular game in the world how much do you hear about them?
If they win, people will come. Plain and simple.
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Congrats to Trent Hunter signed to a 1 year contract. His big body in front of the net will be very useful on the Kings PP.
So does the original 5 year plan re-start now, since the original turned into a 6 year plan?
DD can win all the Norris Trophys he can, that means nothing and I don’t know why some people think Norris Trophy equals Stanley Cup. He can win all the Hart Trophys he can, it means nothing unless the Kings win a Stanley Cup.
I’m glad DD agreed to be with the Kings for 8 more years, the “nucleus” was broken when they traded Simmonds away, along with their untouchable prospect Brayden Schenn. Simmonds was not growing as quickly as they had hoped, but I think that is more coaching system than desire. Regardless it gives that “nucleus” a good amount of time together.
The acquisitions of Dustin Penner, Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, Ethan Moreau, and now Trent Hunter only time will tell.
The honus is now on Terry Murray because DL is pretty sure he has the pieces in place to be considered a contender.
I hope Murray is on a short leash this season, because I don’t think he is the coach to get the Kings to the promise land. Yes I understand his success with getting the Kings into the playoffs for the 1st time in 8 years, however I think the Kings need a coach with a little more imaginaton and creativity. Murray just isn’t that coach.
I hope he proves me wrong.
Greene/Stoll/Mitchell in final year of their contracts, not sure if they are going to extend one or all, it will be interesting.
GKG!
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