Los Angeles Kings veteran blueliner Drew Doughty has suffered an ankle injury. He will miss significant time to start the 2024-2025 season.
Doughty’s Injury Deals Heavy Blow to Kings’ Fledging Defence
Going into the season, the Kings’ defence was one of their biggest question marks. Loosing Drew Doughty to injury before the season even starts is not a good sign. He was set to anchor a relatively inexperienced defensive core. The Kings look to transition from the shutdown 1-3-1 to a more offensively-minded 1-2-2 system.
Doughty’s role on the Kings is playing big minuets in all situations. Last season, the 34 year old ranked second across the league in average time on ice. He saw 25:47 across a full 82 game campaign. The two-way defenceman will certainly be missed. The Kings look to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. There is currently no official timeline for his return, but similar injuries suggest that he will be out for a minimum of six to eight weeks. Given that the team only has $1.3 million left in cap space, the Kings will need to likely need to look to fill the void from within.
Can Veterans Hold Down the Fort?
The Kings defence is a careful mix of youth and veterans. It is clear that guys like Vladislav Gavrikov and free agency signing Joel Edmundson will need to step up. They expect to take on bigger leadership roles this season. Gavrikov’s defensive partner of the last two years Matt Roy. He signed with the Washington Capitals in free agency. Gavrikov will now play with rookie Brandt Clarke on the second pairing. Edmundson will play with 23 year old Jordan Spence.
The amount of ice time these veterans can handle is a big question. The last thing the Kings need is for overworked players to underperform or, worse, more injuries. The Kings could turn to the physically-minded Andreas Englund or newcomer Kyle Burroughs, but neither player was ever expected to take on major ice time.
The team does have one experienced player who has proven he can play big minutes: Mikey Anderson. He has been Doughty’s defensive partner and somewhat of a protégée the past several seasons. Already earmarked for a future leadership role with the team, Doughty’s injury gives Anderson the opportunity to prove himself anchoring the top pairing on his own.
An Opportunity for the Youngsters
Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke were already poised to be thrust into expanded roles this season. With this injury, these roles have grown exponentially more important.
Spence played 71 games last season averaging 14:26 minutes per game while Clarke played 16 games averaging 13:39 minutes. Slotted to be on youngster-veteran pairings, the team is looking for these players to quickly ramp up their ice time and have them play in more key situations. Left shot defenseman Jacob Moverare who has repeatedly found himself on the bubble of the Kings lineup the past couple of seasons will likely get another serious look. These players will definitely be feeling the pressure to rise to the occasion. If they succeed, they have the opportunity to cement themselves as NHL regulars.
A Possible Trade
Since there is no official timeline on Drew Doughty’s injury, at this point it is too early for the Kings to decided if making a trade is the right move due to their current cap situation. If Doughty’s $11 million cap hit goes on the LTIR, the team will suddenly have a lot of money to play with at least until Doughty returns. If he returns part way through the season, they they will have to fit whoever they trade for under the cap which means options will likely be limited.
The Bottom Line
However long it is and however the Kings decide to address Doughty’s absence, this time without him is going to be make or break for the Kings’ 2024-2025 season. It will not be an easy stretch, but there is a great opportunity for some younger players to battle through this adversity and step up to ensure that the kings find themselves in the playoff picture when Doughty returns.
Main Photo: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
