Great deal. Jack has earned it. He was awful when he first came here but really turned it on last season and has been solid again this year. It's good to know he will continue to improve while in a Kings uniform rather than turn into another Larry Murphy. These types of deal are the biggest difference between old Kings teams and the current King team and management/ownership.
Happy about this. The investment in his future would prove fruitful as he learns to improve upon his flaws and cut the silly mistakes out of his game. Which he will, or at the very least they will become more and more uncommon.
...Hopefully this should finally end all the conspiracy theories and maybe allow some posters to really rethink a lot of the garbage about Jack, and his intentions, that was thrown around here for awhile. None of it has proven to be true.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sw1tch
oh wow, with all the nonsense that is thrown about, never thought i would read about an extension that long.
Love it for 2 reasons. It shows JJ's heart for the club to take a 7 year deal at what i see as a discount, and shows DL's loyalty to Jack to give him a lengthy contract like that, showing he isnt trade bait
Quote:
Originally Posted by no name
I'm impressed with Jack. He gave up his chance at the lottery and gave the Kings a very modest deal.
Its a great deal with the right kind of structuring. It gives JJ the confidence to know that the team is committed to him and gives DL a similar reciprocal confidence as well. Its a discount if this year's offensive production is any indication of what JJ is capable of in years to come. It allows JJ to mature and places a premium on future years when JJ will be expected to be as strong defensively as he already is currently demonstrating he can be offensively.
It will certainly end the incessant JJ and a 1st for _______ talk.
It just as certainly tells DD08 what he should expect, whether a little more or a little less, who but DL knows?
Way to go DL, and props for CBGB for being on the money on this one.
Lets just make sure nobody asks DL anything about Red Berenson and the U of M hockey program anytime soon!
Considering how difficult it would be to find a defenseman equal to the talent and potential of Jack Johnson, and the number of years and dollars spent watching him develop, I highly doubt the Kings would consider moving him.
There is no defenseman close to matching Johnson's skill set that the Kings have within the pipeline, nor is there any equivalent talent that is available to replace Johnson with. It would be a major step backwards for the Kings to move him now. They already lack mobility as it is.
From what we've seen of Johnson this season, he's arguably been the best skating and passing dman on the roster. And he's been getting his shots through, on net this season.
As much as I would like to give Dean a boatload of credit for this, I would have to say the lion's share of the credit must go to Johnson. In the last negotiation he realized that he hadn't been "all that" just yet and took a two year deal to prove something.
He pretty much has proven that he can be a very solid top pairing guy that with experience and better reads should only get better. Now he commits for 7 years at what will likely be a discount in terms of cap hit by the time year 2 or 3 of the deal rolls around. Nice job Jack.
Great news, and its amazing that we got him for such a low cap hit. If Doughty signs a discount contract, then the Kings will be able to sign Semin or Parise this summer!
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Originally Posted by kingsfan
Good signing. I expect DD to get only 2 years, at about $9 million
Just curious, why is it that so many people expect Drew to get a short term contract? is it because of the problems between the league and the players union?
... Doughty's been a better player this season, too.
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Originally Posted by KINGS17
Talent-wise and inate hockey sense, YES.
Level of commitment to being a professional, NO.
... All this says to me is "I'm biased" because you literally haven't the first clue of what either player did or does now to commit to their jobs of playing hockey for a living. I don't like the practice of making up stuff to discredit players, especially those who are looking to re-up with the team for a few years or more.
Again, I don't profess to know what goes on in their respective lives away from the games. I'm saying that Doughty has been the better player, this season as well as before this season. The gap between the two isn't as much right now as it once was, but it is still clear who is better.
MURRAY: “Our dream pair, obviously, is with Jack and Doughty. It just seemed to fall off, and that’s a result of team play. It’s no fault of any one player. I would like to see it eventually get back to that and see where it goes. We’ll see how we’re going to respond here, but certainly those are two young guys who can play big minutes and match up against anybody. With what they bring to the game, it would be ideal for us to let them grow together as a future tandem in the National Hockey League. They love to play with each other. They have expressed that to us several times, that it’s a great look for them, a nice feel. We just have to get it through some time here. Hopefully it ends up there.”
I'm ecstatic over this signing. As others have already pointed out, I guess you shouldn't believe what you read on the internet all the time, huh? To hear that he wanted a long term deal with LA goes against most of the so-called rumblings heard by people on this board. So now that the urban legend about JJ has been put to rest, let's start a new one and try to perpetuate that Doughty isn't a committed professional.
