Doughty should stay with Kings because they're contenders, Kopitar says

LAS VEGAS -- Anze Kopitar said the Los Angeles Kings remain a contender to win the Stanley Cup, which should entice Drew Doughty to stay.
Kopitar said Tuesday he has no concerns about Doughty's future and said he has a gut feeling the defenseman will remain with the Kings beyond next season.

Doughty can sign a contract extension as soon as July 1, when he enters the final season of his eight-year contract. He can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2019.
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Kopitar and Doughty have been teammates since the 2008-09 season when Doughty joined the Kings as a rookie. Kopitar, the Los Angeles captain, said he has worked hard to convince Doughty to sign an extension.
"I don't know how much more I can do," the center said. "I know he likes L.A. As proud of a Canadian as he is, I truly believe he enjoys L.A. too."

Kopitar said the Kings are traditionally competitive, regularly spend to the NHL salary cap, and have world-class facilities, all selling points.
But most importantly, Kopitar believes the Kings, with Doughty in place and with goaltender Jonathan Quick, can win another Stanley Cup championship, adding to titles from 2012 and 2014.
"I can speak for myself, I feel very strongly about our core, even though we are getting older," said Kopitar, 30, who had an NHL career-best 92 points this season (35 goals, 57 assists). "Me and Johnny (Quick, 32) are in the 30s now and Drew (28) is not far behind. Last year, we arguably played the best hockey we have in a long, long time. Maybe even better than the regular season in '12 and '14."
Earlier Tuesday, Los Angeles general manager Rob Blake said the Kings would do whatever they could to re-sign Doughty, one of the top defenseman in the NHL.
"We're under the understanding we're going to do what it takes to get Drew signed," Blake said. "That's our understanding here."
Doughty won the Norris Trophy in 2016 as the player voted the best defenseman in the NHL and is a finalist again, with Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning and P.K. Subban of the Nashville Predators. The winner will be announced at the 2018 NHL Awards presented by Hulu at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN).

Doughty had a NHL career high 60 points (10 goals, 50 assists) this season. He was not at media day Tuesday.
Kopitar is a first-time finalist for the Hart Trophy, given to the most valuable player in the NHL, with Taylor Hall of the New Jersey Devils and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche.
The Kings were 45-29-8 last season, fourth in the Pacific Division, and were the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. They were swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference First Round, scoring three goals in four games.
"We played good hockey and we just didn't score enough," Kopitar said. "[The Golden Knights] played well and they got to the Stanley Cup Final. We were snakebit a little bit at the wrong times."
But Kopitar said the Kings, as constructed, can go far in the postseason.
"We just have to find a few more pieces to put us over the edge," he said.