EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The pain was instantly apparent when Drew Doughty reached for his left ankle after getting it caught in the boards and falling during a preseason game in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. The level of pain for the Los Angeles Kings will be determined by how they’re able to manage his absence.
Exactly how long Doughty is out of the Kings’ lineup remains a question. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, through a league source, confirmed initial reports of a left ankle fracture. But the full extent of the injury hasn’t been revealed by the Kings, as further testing was done Thursday to determine if there was any structural damage. Doughty left the practice facility on Thursday with his left leg up on a rolling scooter.
“It’s Drew Doughty,” said Kyle Burroughs, in his first season with Los Angeles. “He’s been a pillar here in the league, not even just for the Kings. It’s tough to see and this is when we try to rally around him and give him the support he needs. But he’s a tough cookie. He’ll be high spirits. He’ll be back flying in no time.”
The Kings will be without Doughty for either weeks or months, depending on the severity of the injury. There is no ideal scenario when a team not only loses its best defenseman but one who has been among the best of his generation and is a sure-fire Hall of Famer.
But it’s a scenario they’ve dealt with before. Doughty played in all 82 games last season and missed only one contest in 2022-23. However, the Kings had to adjust in 2021-22, when Doughty played in only 37 games and couldn’t play in that postseason after undergoing wrist surgery. That experience is something they can draw on.
The difference now is, there is no Sean Durzi to turn to. Or Matt Roy. Or Sean Walker. Or even Brock Faber to plug in. All are now gone for different reasons, as the Kings have reshaped themselves over the past two years. The supporting cast must soak up Doughty’s minutes – and that’s a ton, give that he’s been at or near the top of the NHL in ice time for years – and that cast has changed a lot.
They’ll be leaning more on youngsters Jordan Spence, who established himself as an every-day player last season, and Brandt Clarke, who is trying to do the same this season. They’re already seen Burroughs, a fifth-year veteran depth add through trade, get established, and he played 25 minutes on Wednesday after Doughty went down. And the left side of the blue line, made up of Mikey Anderson, Vladislav Gavrikov and Joel Edmundson, will be counted on more as the shutdown leads for their pairings.
Filling Doughty’s shoes will be a collective effort. It must be. No one defender is going to replace him.
“We got Spenny (and) Clarkie, who are probably more offensive guys, so they can try and take that over,” Anderson said. “Get maybe a little more chance on the power play. It’s good for those guys. I think we got a lot of trust in them to be able to perform. But we got enough guys that play hard (defense), too, where we’re able to be hard to play against and try and fill his defensive role as well.”
The Kings already were going to be asking more from Spence this season. After he earned a job out of training camp last season, the 23-year-old secured it by playing 71 games on the third pairing alongside Andreas Englund. An opening developed when Roy signed a free-agent deal with Washington. The Kings opted to fill it from within, instead of acquiring another top-four veteran.
To start this preseason, Hiller has Spence on the second pair with Gavrikov. If the worst-case predicament occurs, with Doughty being sidelined for a large chunk of the season, the Kings could look for external help, as veterans such as Tyson Barrie, Kevin Shattenkirk or Justin Schultz could be brought in. But it’s a lock that Spence will play much more in five-on-five situations and vie with Clarke for the lead power-play spot.
In 2021-22, Durzi emerged as a rookie on the right side with 27 points while also gaining playoff experience. He had a regular role with L.A. for two seasons before sliding into a big-minute spot with Arizona and then signing a four-year, $24-million extension with the relocated Utah Hockey Club. Could Spence use this chance to have a similar career trajectory?
“Obviously, (even) with having more of a role now just because (Doughty) is gone for a little bit, I’m not really going to change my game,” said Spence, who had 24 points while averaging 14:26 of ice time last year. “I think if I change my game, I’ll become a whole different player and that might – sorry to say – bite me in the ass. For me, I just want to play my game. I think that’s why I made the team last year and this year I’m going to have more of a role.
“I’m more confident this year. I can be more reliable defensively. I think I can make more players in the offensive zone. So, I just want to be better than last year and that’s my goal.”
So far, Burroughs is occupying Doughty’s spot alongside Anderson. The pair had a chance meeting in Hawaii during the 2023 All-Star break, when Anderson met the then-San Jose Sharks blueliner on the back nine of a golf course. The Kings would acquire the hard-nosed Burroughs for winger Carl Grundstrom in June.
This is the fourth team for Burroughs. The 29-year-old was a part-timer with Vancouver for two seasons before spending last year with San Jose. He played in career-high 73 games but had a minus-42 rating and was among many who struggled on the NHL-worst Sharks. But he also averaged 19 minutes a night while blocking 134 shots and recording 233 hits.
“With minutes, you can get more comfortable with the game,” he said. “You get more touches. You get more chances to hit people. You get more chances to make an impact on the game. That’s the thing when an opportunity comes. You can’t wait for it. You can’t not be ready for it if it happens.
“With everything that’s gone on in my career and having those opportunities come, you just got to roll with the wave. Keep going, keep pushing and not get complacent.”
This has been a harder training camp for the Kings, as they’re intent on playing with more of a physical edge this season. But they weren’t counting on it taking this turn before their season opener Oct. 10 at Buffalo. Young winger Arthur Kaliyev suffered a broken clavicle on the second day of camp after being hit by Burroughs during a scrimmage. It’s an injury they can overcome, since Kaliyev simply was trying to earn a spot after being a regular healthy scratch last season.
Doughty’s injury hits differently. And it came in a game that didn’t even count.
“You have to play,” Hiller said. “You can’t keep everybody out. You’d want to go into the regular season 100 percent healthy and to do that, you can say, ‘OK, nobody gets to play’ and now you’re way behind the eight-ball. Since the beginning of the time, this is the way it’s had to go. You have to get a couple games. Get your body up and running.
“You just hate to see it. Just hate to see it.”
(Photo of Mikey Anderson: Harry How / Getty Images)
