EL SEGUNDO http://www.islandersfanproshop.com/authentic-nick-leddy-jersey , Calif. (AP) The Los Angeles Kings believe they are still Stanley Cup contenders, even after being swept by the upstart Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. How close they are to that goal might be reflected in how negotiations go with defenseman Drew Doughty this summer.General manager Rob Blake said Friday that working out a contract extension with Doughty is the team’s top priority. The Kings and Doughty can begin holding talks on July 1, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the 2018-19 season.”I always wanted to be an LA King and I want to stay an LA King,” Doughty said.Doughty is one of three finalists for the Norris Trophy presented to the league’s top defenseman after winning it in 2016. He had 10 goals and 50 assists in his most productive NHL season yet, but Doughty believes he can still improve his scoring output.”I wasn’t too happy with my goal totals this year,” Doughty said. ”I think I only maybe scored one or two one-timer goals, which in my career probably half of my goals are one-timer goals, so I was pretty disappointed about that this year. I can definitely improve on that and have an even better season and hopefully set some new career-highs.”The Kings scored just three goals in four games against the Golden Knights. Developing a more reliable offense is the one glaring weakness that needs be addressed, and lifting the Stanley Cup for the third time is a reasonable goal provided it gets solved going into next season.”Everybody is still here that was here in ’14 and almost in ’12 for that matter, too, so we’re not that far off,” center Anze Kopitar said. ”It’s going to take a lot of work, yes, but we’re not far off.”CAREER YEARSKopitar set personal bests with 35 goals and 57 assists while averaging a career-high 22:05 of playing time. His 92 points represented a 40-point improvement over his lackluster 2016-17, leading Kopitar to joke he is ”aging like wine.” Dustin Brown had 61 points to top his previous high of 60 set in 2007-08, his fourth season in the league. Doughty broke free with 60 points after reaching the 50-point plateau once in the previous seven seasons. Doughty’s usual defensive partner, Jake Muzzin, had 42 points. Even depth forward Trevor Lewis got into the act with 26 points and 14 goals in his most productive campaign.FORWARD THINKINGRookie Adrian Kempe was fourth on the team with 16 goals despite not finding the back of the net in the final 29 games of the regular season. Stepping in at center when Jeff Carter missed 55 games following surgery to repair a cut tendon in his ankle, Kempe showed a surprising toughness to go along with his natural quickness. If Kempe can continue to develop, he could decrease the reliance on Kopitar, who will be 31 when next season starts, and the 33-year-old Carter.”I’m pretty sure he’ll be the first one to tell you he can offer more, and that’s a learning process,” Kopitar said. ”That’s his first full year in the league. Speaking from experience, it takes a little bit of time to figure out your routines and what’s working for you and what’s not.”LOOKING FOR DEPTHShort of dealing in the offseason Brady Skjei Jersey , the Kings should return essentially the same roster next season. Speedy forward Tobias Rieder is a restricted free agent, and Torrey Mitchell is an unrestricted free agent. The 25-year-old Rieder showed some chemistry with Carter, posting four goals and two assists in 20 games. Defensemen Christian Folin and Kevin Gravel are both unrestricted free agents.HOME IMPROVEMENT NEEDEDThe Kings went 23-15-3 at home, the second-fewest wins by a playoff team. It seemed like they were getting better as the season went on, going 9-4-0 down the stretch, only to lose both home playoff games and fall to 0-5 at Staples Center in their last two postseasons. Their 118 goals at home in the regular season was tied for 21st in the NHL. The power play contributed 25 percent of that output, underscoring the need for 5-on-5 improvement.COMING ATTRACTIONClearly in need of more contributors on offense, center Gabriel Vilardi could be an option for the Kings next season. Selected No. 11 overall in the 2017 draft, Vilardi has been a force in the OHL playoffs with 11 goals and nine assists in his first 12 postseason games. Vilardi also has the size and 200-foot game that fit a Kings team that still emphasizes defense.— RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Hall of Fame player Ron Francis is out as general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes after four years but will remain with the team in another front-office position, new owner Tom Dundon said Wednesday night.Dundon says the team will begin a search for a new GM who will report directly to the new owner, while Francis will move into a new role as the team’s president of hockey operations.”Since I took control of the team, I’ve had a good chance to be around and assess the operations,” Dundon said. ”There are a lot of good people working in the organization, but I feel that a change in direction is needed when it comes to hockey personnel decisions.”The move came a day after the Hurricanes’ 6-2 loss at Minnesota, which left Carolina four points outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture. In that game, former Carolina captain Eric Staal scored two goals against his former team while helping the Wild jump out to a 5-0 lead. Francis traded Staal two years ago to the New York Rangers in a deadline deal for a prospect and two draft picks.Francis, 55, has served several roles with the Hurricanes and took over as general manager in 2014 after being groomed for the position by former GM Jim Rutherford, who has since helped lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cups. The Hurricanes have not made the playoff since 2009 – the longest active postseason drought in the league.Francis was a four-time All-Star who won the Cup twice with the Penguins in the 1990s. He finished his 25-year career with 549 goals and 1,249 assists and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007.Francis brought in goalie Scott Darling from Chicago during the offseason and signed him to a four-year, $16.6 million contract. Darling has the worst save percentage in the league at .889 and has allowed at least four goals in half of his last 12 appearances.Dundon has been quick to shake things up in the two months since he purchased a majority interest in the team from longtime owner Peter Karmanos Jr. In his introductory news conference in January, he explained that the advice he received was that ”you’ve got to trust” the hockey-minded employees because ”I don’t think I’m going to walk in and understand more hockey than (general manager Ron Francis). That would be ridiculous.”