Drew Doughty, Kings talking again

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Negotiations between the Los Angeles Kings and star defenseman Drew Doughty have resumed after the two sides had not spoken for more than a month, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

General manager Dean Lombardi told the newspaper Tuesday that he has spoken to Doughty's agent, Don Meehan, and offered the restricted free agent choices regarding the duration of a new contract.

"Everything's been amicable," Lombardi said, according to the report. "We're waiting to hear back from them. They said they'd get back to us in a day or two. So in terms of distance, I'll probably have a better handle on that when we hear back."

The blue-chip defenseman will not attend camp until a contract is signed, Meehan told ESPN.com last week.

Negotiations with Doughty started last season, and an offer was made prior to July 1, but no deal ever came close to being finalized. "We were so far apart it never really got to the fine-tuning," Lombardi told the Times.

Doughty, a Norris Trophy finalist in 2009-10, is considered a cornerstone of the Kings' future plans. The 21-year-old led the Kings in average ice time (25 minutes, 39 seconds) this past season and was plus-13, fourth-best on the team.

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