Drew Doughty and something to prove

Drew Doughty has been hammered by the media all summer long due to lingering contract negotiations with the Kings. But who cares, right?

At 21, a contract hold-out would be relatively unprecedented, and certainly unruly, so it’s safe to say Doughty will wear the black, silver and purple of the Los Angeles Kings for the 2011-12 season.

With training camp around the corner though, the game of chicken between both sides is becoming risky, testy and messy.

Aside from contract talks, the Guelph Storm alumnus has endured some additional flak for his overall performance last season. Last year’s drop in production in the form of 19 points from the campaign prior has given the London, Ontario native a few peripheral naysayers.

Understandably, however, it was a difficult task for Doughty to follow up a sophomore season consisting of 59 points, a plus-20 rating, five game-winning goals, nine power play goals and Norris Trophy runner-up honors.

Doughty believes his presence was a tad overlooked in 2010-11.

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“Some people were on me for my point production, but I feel like I improved in areas people didn’t really notice last year,” Doughty told The Good Point recently.

In six 2010-11 playoff games, where he managed a respectable four points from the blue line while eating up some major minutes, the right-handed d-man was still unable to surpass his career-high from 2009-10 postseason (seven points in six contests).

The past is the past though and the six-foot, 212-pounder has a ton to look forward to come October 7 when L.A. opens their regular season versus the New York Rangers in Stockholm, Sweden.

Yes, he’ll have a mini-Euro trip to take part in but, more importantly, Doughty will have Mike Richards drawing pucks back to his stick and a guy named Simon Gagne will be flying down the wing, looking for tape-to-tape feeds.

“The Kings haven’t made it past the first-round in how long? Since the current management and coaches came on board, they’ve been bringing in new faces,” he said. “They’ve done a great job building.”

To be exact, 2001-02 was the last time the Kings skated past the opening round of the NHL playoffs. It was then that they dropped a heartbreaking seven-game series to the Colorado Avalanche.

As the new season gradually comes into focus and predictions begin to emerge, the Kings are consistently brought up in the “who do you see finishing in the top-five in the Western Conference?” conversation — and beyond.

A lot of the positive hype revolves around Richards and Gagne, ultimately putting supplementary weight on their shoulders. However, will they be trumped by Doughty’s desire to leave it all on the ice?

“I always aim to be the best, most consistent player on the ice,” said Doughty, insisting the 2010-11 version of him was just as effective as years past.

The former second-overall pick promises he’s kept in primo shape as well.

“I was in good shape last year but I worked out really hard this summer so I can make a bigger difference out there,” he explained.

Doughty, a man who continues to come back to his hometown in Canada year after year despite the fact the bright lights and big city of Los Angeles is his main base, has muddled emotions in regards to the notion of training camp starting up again soon.

“It’s always bittersweet with the summer ending,” he said. “I look forward to getting back on the ice, so I get really excited, but at the same time I don’t want it to end.”

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