Before the season even began, the Los Angeles Kings were dealt their first big challenge as defenseman Drew Doughty suffered a broken ankle in a preseason game. This undoubtedly, and rightfully so, caused plenty of questions for the Kings as Doughty has been one of the key players of this roster.
It was a big hole to fill but for most of the season the Kings did a great job managing the absence before his return at the end of January. The Kings would get him on the ice for a few games before the 4 Nations Face-off and it looked like he was still trying to get back into the flow.
However, with Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-off, Doughty looked much closer to the player fans remembered from seasons prior. He continued that strong play pretty much for the Kings over the past few weeks and in 26 games he has three goals and 11 assists but has 10 points in just the past 16 games.
LA Kings head coach says Drew Doughty still dealing with ankle injury
After the LA Kings big 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets, LA Kings head coach Jim Hiller was asked his assessment about Drew Doughty. He did say he was good but surprisingly admitted that he is not fully at 100%.
"I think it’s good. I don’t think he’s 100 percent, he’s not 100 percent physically, I think that’s clear. So, it’s hard to evaluate him based on who he’s been over time, because just physically, he’s just not there. So, I think based on the circumstances, everything he’s based on and continues to on a daily basis, I think he’s doing a really good job for us."
It was interesting to hear this from Hiller as Drew Doughty hasn't seen much of a decrease in his ice time. If he is not 100%, it would have made sense for the Kings to limit some of his ice time but he was averaging over 25 minutes in his first nine games of the season.
There was a slight decrease in March but only about a minute less per game. At this point of the season, the Kings are definitely in a tough playoff race but not so much getting into the playoffs but fighting for home ice.
Over the next few weeks, the focus for the LA Kings should be getting this team to the playoffs as healthy as possible. If Doughty is not 100%, the focus should be limiting his workload and making sure he is as close to that as possible to help the Kings get out of the first round for the first time in over a decade.