It's official! LA Kings sign Drew Doughty to historic deal; Add forward Ilya Kovalchuk

It's official: Drew Doughty is an LA King for life.

The LA Kings officially signed veteran defenseman Doughty to an 8-year contract on Sunday, the same day the club inked forward Ilya Kovalchuk to a 3-year deal. His contract carries an AAV of $11,000,000.

https://twitter.com/LAKings/status/1013486116056588290

Doughty posted a career-high 60 points (10-50=60) during the 2017-18 season.

"Drew Doughty is one of the best defensemen in the world and we are obviously excited to have reached this point in the process in which he has committed to the Kings long-term," said LA Kings Vice President and General Manager Rob Blake in a statement.

The 28-year-old Ontario native has played every game of his NHL career with the Kings after being drafted second overall during the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Doughty has appeared in 770 regular-season games and has tallied 422 points (102-320=422).  He currently ranks second on the LA Kings all-time list among defensemen in goals, assists and points (trailing only Blake in all three categories), and third in games played.

Doughty has also appeared in 84 postseason games (51 points) with theLA  Kings, and is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion (2012 and 2014).

For Kovalchuk, the 2018 Olympic MVP, his contract carries an AAV of $6,250,000 and will wear number 17.

The 35-year-old Kovalchuk (6-3, 230-pounds) last appeared in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils during the 2012-13 season. A first-overall selection of the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Kovalchuk was a point-per-game player, appearing in 816 regular-season games with the Thrashers and Devils, posting 816 points (417-399=816) and 516 penalty minutes.

From 2001 to 2013, no active player scored more goals than Kovalchuk’s 417. He has had two 50-plus goal seasons, and cleared the 40-goal plateau six consecutive years (2003-04 to 2009-10). His 0.51 goals-per-game percentage ranks 18th all-time in league history.