The Los Angeles Kings are a team that some pundits (this one included) are pegging to be a wild-card team (at best) in the Western Conference. But their already-shaky Stanley Cup championship aspirations took a significant blow this week when star defenseman Drew Doughty suffered a fractured ankle in a pre-season game against Vegas on Wednesday. The 34-year-old blueliner is listed as month-to-month in his recovery timeline, and while the Kings expect Doughty back before the end of the regular season, he’s likely going to miss much of the year.
And that could be the root cause of Los Angeles missing out on the playoffs altogether.
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To say he will be missed by Los Angeles in the weeks to come would be a tremendous understatement. Doughty not only led all Kings players with 25:48 of average ice time last season – he was second in the league only to Capitals D-man John Carlson, who played 25:54 – and he was also the team’s highest-scoring defensemen with 35 assists and 50 points in 82 games.
Some might say the Kings are better-positioned to weather the storm created by Doughty’s injury, because they went out and signed UFA veteran Joel Edmundson this summer. But nobody’s pretending Edmundson can do what Doughty can do, even at this late stage in his NHL career. The ripple effect of Doughty’s injury could expose the Kings’ lack of depth on the backend and — unless GM Rob Blake can pull off a miracle on the trade market while Doughty is on Long-Term Injured Reserve — it is going to be a weak spot for the team.
The bright side of Doughty’s misfortune is what it could mean for 23-year-old Jordan Spence (22 assists, 24 points in 71 games last season) and 21-year-old Brandt Clarke (36 assists, 46 points in 50 AHL games). Obviously, neither is at Doughty’s level right now. But we’ll see just how far along both are. Meanwhile, new Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper will be playing behind a group of blueliners that is average at best.
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This new-look L.A. team was designed to be harder to play against, but with Doughty on the sidelines, that will be a difficult task.
With or without Doughty in the lineup, making the playoffs was going to be a challenge in a Pacific Division where Edmonton, Vancouver and Vegas are the favorites to finish in the top-3. The Kings have made the post-season for each of the past three years. That trend is now looking less likely.
Doughty isn’t the player he was in his prime, but he was still the best L.A. had to offer. Doughty was an ironman the past two seasons, playing 163 regular-season games for L.A.. But he’s got a lot of mileage on his competitive odometer, so this injury could be a sign of bad news to come for him.
As players get older, coming back from serious injuries like a broken ankle, so Doughty will be watched closely to see if he can return to his expected level of play this year. And unless Spence, Clarke or someone else steps up to provide a solid solution for what currently ails them on ‘D’, the Kings look to be in big trouble before the season even begins.
News Summary:
- Here's Why Drew Doughty's Devastating Injury Could Keep The Kings From Making The Playoffs
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