Kings are sure Drew Doughty’s return from injury will provide a needed jolt
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The Kings are 50 games into a regular-season schedule that is still 2 ½ months from the finish line. It’s a time of year when the games become grueling, the practices monotonous and the hotel rooms all look the same.
“I don’t like to say ‘dog days.’ I don’t,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said Tuesday. “I don’t think anybody does.
“It’s just a matter of, ‘OK, it’s tough on everybody. How do you get through it?’ That’s the challenge.”
And Hiller thinks his team may have gotten a little bit of help in meeting that challenge with Drew Doughty’s return from injury last week. The future Hall of Fame defenseman, who underwent surgery after breaking his left ankle in September, made his season debut in the third game of a five-game trip. He’ll play his first home game of the season Wednesday when the Kings face the Montreal Canadiens at Crypto.com Arena.
The L.A. Kings are in win-now mode and trying to make the most of their talent, especially with veteran Anze Kopitar’s contract expiring in 2026.
“The answer is yes,” Hiller said when asked if Doughty’s return will provide his team with a needed burst of energy. “I would agree with that 100%.”
So does Kings president Luc Robitaille and forward Anze Kopitar, the team captain.
“It’s exactly like making a big trade because he’s going to be coming in, helping our group,” Robitaille said.
“Drew’s been a huge part of this organization for 17 years. So you can’t replace a guy like that,” Kopitar added. “Now that he’s back playing 24 minutes a night, it’s obviously great for us. We’re extremely excited to have him back for.”
Especially since the Kings could really use a burst of anything positive at this point. The team’s win over Carolina in the final game of the last road trip was just the third in past 11 games, its worst skid since this time last season, when it lost 10 of 11. That cost coach Todd McLellan his job and nearly cost the team a playoff berth.
Drew Doughty returns after missing first 47 games of season, but Kings lose for the seventh time in 10 games.
“That’s the influence I wanted to have. And I thought I did,” said Doughty, who averaged more than 25 minutes of ice time in his first three games.
With Mikey Anderson out with a hand injury, Hiller paired Doughty with Vladislav Gavrikov on the road trip. The coach said that pairing could remain even after Anderson returns. Doughty, meanwhile, said the games felt a little like preseason ones in that he was trying to regain his fitness while adapting both to new teammates and Hiller’s 1-2-2 style of play.
“When you miss that many games, no matter how much stuff you do off the ice, you’ve got to get into game situations,” he said. “These guys are 50 games in and flying and feeling their groove. I’m basically coming in without even a inner-squad game. So it was tough.
“I was just nervous because I wanted to come back and I wanted to help us win games.”
Doughty is hoping to prove himself fit enough to make the Canadian roster for next week’s 4 Nations Face-Off. The extra ice time, he said, will be more helpful than another two weeks off.
“Getting to play more games, I’ll be up to speed with the guys once [I] get back,” he said. “So I would love to be there.”
Whatever boost the Kings get from Doughty’s return may not be enough to get the dog days to heel, however, which is why the team can’t afford to be timid with the trade deadline just a month away. The Kings’ biggest need is a scoring threat on the wing to complement Adrian Kempe, whose team-leading 24 goals is tied for 12th in the league. But Kevin Fiala is the only other King with more than 13 goals. And no one ranks in the top 30 in assists for a team that entered Tuesday 29th in the 32-team league in goals for.
The Kings have very little room to manuever. They are up against the cap space, meaning they can’t afford to take on much salary, and they’re already ruled out trading 21-year defender Brandt Clarke, their most attractive young player, despite the fact he’s already lost playing time with Doughty’s return.
Clarke’s freewheeling style doesn’t quite fit with the Kings’ style so perhaps they could be persuaded to move him in the right deal. Failing that, the team’s thin prospect pool means it would probably have to swallow hard and trade someone such as Jordan Spence, a 23-year-old defenseman. The team would probably prefer to part with winger Trevor Moore, whose production (seven goals, 14 assists) has slipped markedly from last season when he had career highs of 31 and 26, respectively. But Moore, who turns 30 next month, may not bring much in return.
Whether they make a significant trade or not, the Kings figure to get a lift from the remaining regular-season schedule. Most of the team’s difficulties have come on the road, where their 14 losses are tied for fifth-most in the NHL. But at the Crypt they’ve been beaten just three times; no team in the league has lost fewer games at home.
And the Kings will play 22 of their remaining 32 games at home.
