The Los Angeles Kings will have to find a way to tread water without Drew Doughty.
The team announced that Doughty will have surgery for a fractured ankle and is listed as month-to-month.
Doughty hurt his left leg Wednesday when he slammed into the boards while engaged with Golden Knights forward Tanner Pearson in the first period of a 3-2 win. Doughty was in a protective boot and using a knee scooter to get around the team facility on Thursday.
“You don’t want to have Drew out for an extended period of time, but that’s just a sad reality now and we’re gonna have to deal with it,” Kings centre and captain Anze Kopitar said.
The 34-year-old has been the Kings’ stalwart on the blue line going into his 17th season and is one of the remaining links to their two Stanley Cup triumphs in 2012 and 2014. He was second in the NHL in time on ice this past season, averaging 25:48, and led Kings defensemen with 15 goals and 35 assists.
Considering Doughty’s absence, would the Kings turn to the open market and sign a free agent who is still available?
“One of the things I was starting to do was, OK, what right-handed D are still out there?” Sportsnet’s Friedman said on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast. “There’s a Justin Schultz, there’s a Kevin Shattenkirk and, of course, there’s going to be situations where waivers or someone becomes available, but I’m not sure the Kings are going to look into anything like that until they have a better idea.”
That shifts things internally with Kyle Burroughs, Brandt Clarke, Jordan Spence and Vladislav Gavrikov mentioned as potential options to slot alongside Anderson. Which one is the favourite?
“The first name I thought of was Brandt Clarke, actually, but one the reasons they went out and got Joel Edmundson is because they wanted him to play with Clarke,” Friedman said. “So, it doesn’t sound to me like they want to break up the (Joel) Edmundson-Clarke idea. I think also that while they sound pretty excited about Clarke, they have a plan for the way they want this to work and they don’t want to vary from it.
“What’s the old Mike Tyson line? ‘Everybody’s got a plan until they get punched in the face.’ Well, the Kings got kind of punched in the face here but I think they want to keep it the way it is. I think Burroughs is the guy who makes a lot of sense. They also have Jordan Spence here. I wonder if they’ll try the idea of someone who shoots left, like Gavrikov playing on the right side. … I’ve got to think in the short-term, Burroughs is probably going to get a chance to be that particular guy. Again, it determines how long do they find Doughty to be out.”
Burroughs joined the Kings during the off-season in a trade with the San Jose Sharks for Carl Grundstrom. The 29-year-old from Vancouver registered two goals and six assists in 73 games with the Sharks last season, and averaged 19:09 minutes of ice time.
The 4 Nations Face-Off tournament is also on tap later this season, and Friedman believes there’s no doubt about Doughty’s place on the roster among Team Canada’s staff.
“I think they really do feel like Drew Doughty is going to be somebody on their team, and as long as he’s healthy to play, he is going to be on their team,” Friedman said.