The Los Angeles Kings have announced that defenceman Drew Doughty will remain on injured reserve for the next six-to-eight weeks with a bruised right knee. In addition, defenceman Sean Walker has torn his ACL and MCL and will remain out for the rest of the season.
Rob Blake says Drew Doughty will be off the ice for six weeks, might return eight weeks. Hypertension and tibial plateau contusion. Sean Walker tore ACL and MCL, out for season, will need surgery.
— Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen) October 27, 2021
Drew Doughty, Sean Walker Injured
Head coach Rob Blake made the announcement on Wednesday morning; unfortunately, it couldn’t come at a worse time for the Kings. Los Angeles has had a rough start to the season. They currently sit at the bottom of the Pacific Division, and, without two of their more solid defencemen, they could be in trouble. Doughty is second in team scoring with seven points in four games. Walker, on the other hand, has two in six. Doughty has anchored a line with Mikey Anderson, while Walker played primarily with veteran Alex Edler.
What This Means for the Team
Fortunately, Doughty is set to return in, at the earliest, a month and a half. Losing Walker will be a blow to the team’s depth. They’ll likely need to rely on AHL talent to fill the gaps for the time being. How well the players perform will entirely depend on their deployment. For a team that’s pushing for the playoffs, they’ll need all the help they can get from the young guns. Doughty will resume skating in six weeks, but, without Walker, the team may need to trade for another defenceman if an AHL defenceman can’t crack the lineup. Time will tell what happens with the Kings, but for now, they’ll hope for a speedy recovery from Doughty.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
