LA Kings Reveal Update After Troubling Injury to Drew Doughty

In a brutal blow to their blueline, the Los Angeles Kings have revealed that workhorse star defenseman Drew Doughty will now be out "month-to-month" after he undergoes surgery to repair a fractured ankle suffered in a gruesome injury in an exhibition game earlier this week.

The @LAKings announced defenseman Drew Doughty will undergo surgery to repair a fractured ankle and is listed as month-to-month.
— LA Kings PR (@LAKingsPR) September 27, 2024

Just how many "months" that will be is undetermined at this point, but insider Elliotte Friedman tells us that Kings head coach Jim Hiller said Doughty is expected back "this season". That, of course, doesn't soothe Kings fans too much, as "this season" could also be four or months from now. They aren't revealing any more details about the prognosis at this time.

The right-shot Doughty is, as noted by Kings newcomer Kyle Burroughs, "a pillar here in the league, not even just for the Kings". The former Norris Trophy winner logs well over 25 minutes a night, and has done so for his entire 16-year career with LA. He's even had a career renaissance the past couple of seasons, as the 34-year-old posted back-to-back 50-point campaigns with a plus/minus rating of +27 over the two years, and found the net 15 times last season.

Youngsters Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke will be asked to take on more ice time, and it was Burroughs who played 25 minutes on Wednesday after Doughty went down early in the first period.

Make no mistake, however, there is no filling the shoes/skates of Doughty for the Kings.