The Los Angeles Kings are in the midst of a long five-game road trip but could be getting a boost at the end of it as defenseman Drew Doughty takes another step towards his return to the ice. The Kings top defenseman has yet to play this season after suffering an injury during the preseason.
However, on Tuesday during The Ray & Dregs Podcast in an interview with LA Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper, Darren Dreger noted that Doughty is expected to return to practice next week. While it will be in a non-contact jersey, this is the next step in his recovery and eventual return to the ice.
This season, the Los Angeles Kings have been one of the best defensive teams in the entire NHL. They currently lead the league in goals against average of 2.42 while allowing the fewest shot attempts at 1,020 through 41 games.
It was tough to imagine the Kings would be able to replace Drew Doughty but they have been able to do just that and his return is only going to make an excellent part of the roster that much better.
The big question for the Kings is who he is paired with as the top pair of Mikey Anderson and Vladislav Gavrikov have been stellar. Last season, Doughty was next to Anderson but Jim Hiller may be hesistant to break up his current top pair with how well they have been playing.
Drew Doughty should help the Los Angeles Kings power play unit as well
One area that the Kings have struggled this season that Doughty can make an immediate impact is on the power play. The Kings are near the bottom of the league in this category but Doughty should step in right away on the top power play unit.
This is an area that he has done well in with 21 power play goals and 57 power play assists over the past four seasons.