Doughty hopes to earn a big payday after three strong seasons in LA. (Wikimedia Commons)

Kings GM Dean Lombardi has apparently provided Doughty's agent, Don Meehan, a list of contract options for them to look over with hopes that they will hear back from Doughty's camp within a couple days. According to ESPN.com, Meehan has already made it known that his client will not attend camp until both sides have come to an agreement and a contract has been signed.

The negotiations between Doughty and the Kings have been going on for months now. Many thought that the arbitration hearing result for Nashville's Shea Weber would lay the foundation for what the worth is of a young superstar defenseman and help speed up the negotiations in Los Angeles. It has now been almost a month since Weber was granted $7.5 million in arbitration, and we are just now catching word that the gates of communication have opened up in the City of Angels.

The 21-year-old is entering his fourth season in the NHL. He scored 59 points and was a finalist for the Norris Trophy finalist (given to the league's best defenseman) in 2009-2010, and scored 40 points in 76 games last season.

______________________

Reach Lauren by email, or follow her on Twitter.