Doughty trying to stay positive through 'difficult' Kings rebuild

Only a few years removed from being perennial Stanley Cup contenders, the Los Angeles Kings and defenseman Drew Doughty find themselves at the bottom of the league's standings for the second consecutive season.

Doughty said he's trying to keep a positive attitude while the club toils through the rebuilding process.

"It's very hard, but it's the position I'm in, and I gotta try to stay positive every day, as hard as it is," Doughty said Wednesday, per TSN. "Coming to the rink, trying to have fun, trying to help guys get better and help myself get better - it's a difficult process. But like I said, I'm in the position I'm in so I have to make the best of it and just try to get better every day, both as a team and individually."

Doughty seemed slightly underwhelmed when asked if his team is beginning to turn a corner.

"I mean, yeah, 'cause we got a lot of picks, I guess, so (I'm) happy to see all that, get some prospects," Doughty said. "I guess a little bit. We've had flashes of seeing it getting better and then we go into a hole and get worse for a little bit so we need to stay consistent with it and keep running with it."

"I'm getting there," Doughty added when pressed by a reporter if he's satisfied with the team's trajectory. "We're getting better, no doubt about it. ... We're going to have some good, young talent on this team and we need to build the team back up."

Doughty, 30, has been a member of the Kings since being taken second overall in the 2008 draft. He helped the club take home two Stanley Cup victories in 2012 and 2014, and he also took home the Norris Trophy in 2016.

The Kings shipped out a number of veteran players this season, including Alec Martinez and Tyler Toffoli, to load up on draft picks. They currently hold eight selections over the first four rounds of the 2020 draft and seven picks across the first four rounds in 2021.

Doughty has appeared in 915 games with the Kings over his career, recording 117 goals and 382 assists. He's in the first year of an eight-year, $88-million contract extension that he signed in 2018.

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