Kings' Drew Doughty to miss time after ankle surgery
09/27/2024 04:32 PM
The Los Angeles Kings saw veteran defenseman Drew Doughty go down with an injury in a pre-season game this week. On Friday, the team announced that he would miss the beginning of the 2024-25 season after undergoing ankle surgery. He is considered month-to-month.
— LA Kings (@LAKings) September 27, 2024
The Kings are coming off a third consecutive first-round loss to the Edmonton Oilers. They traded Pierre-Luc Dubois after one disastrous season and got Darcy Kuemper back from the Capitals. While they had high expectations coming into this season, Doughty’s injury puts a massive damper on that.
Drew Doughty has been a part of the Kings since he was drafted second overall in 2008. He made his debut at 19 years old and has been the top defenseman since. A massive part of the three Stanley Cups in the 2010s, Doughty is a franchise legend. Fans hope to see more playoff success for number eight.
Kings outlook without Drew Doughty
The Kings have a solid defensive core to survive while Doughty is on the shelf. If he can come back during the regular season, they can replace him through prospects. Vladislav Gavrikov can be their top defenseman, Brandt Clarke is a promising player and Mikey Anderson has blossomed into a nice middle-pair player.
If Doughty is out for the entire season, which is not the indication as of now, they should look to replace him in free agency. Jake Muzzin, Nikita Zaitsev, and John Klingberg are available right now. While the Kings hope that Doughty is ready to go for the second half, it may not be realistic.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said that the original reports were that there was a broken bone on his 32 Thoughts podcast. That has not been confirmed by the team, but that is a possibility considering the length of time he is expected to be out.
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