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The Los Angeles Kings were comfortable with their place in the Pacific Division. They acquired Darcy Kuemper during the offseason to solidify their goaltending situation, and the rest of the division has plenty of question marks. The Kings believe they can contend, but a new development for Drew Doughty in training camp could cause them to make a last-minute trade before the 2024-25 NHL season begins.
Drew Doughty's injury creates defense need for Kings
In a preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Kings' defenseman Drew Doughty suffered a gruesome lower-body injury. It's the risk teams run when they play their superstars in meaningless tune-up games. However, professional hockey players will never turn down the chance to dress for 60 minutes. The severity of the injury is unknown, but head coach Jim Hiller shared that the Kings medical team will “get a closer look at it” back in Los Angeles.
“Doughty Update: Sources say [Kings] defenseman Drew Doughty sustained a left ankle injury,” reported insider Frank Seravalli on Thursday. “Initial quick x-ray showed a fracture, but he's scheduled for additional imaging today. Hope is that it is only a fracture and not additional structural damage.”
The Kings were already short on defensemen after losing Matt Roy in the offseason. They attempted to piece together the remaining blue line behind Doughty with a mix of veterans and youth. Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence have high potential for the Kings but may not be ready for an elevated role. Joel Edmundson is a new addition, but the former Stanley Cup Champion can't play top-pairing minutes.
There is no point in speculating about the severity of Doughty's injury, but if you have the stomach for it, you can look at the video yourself. It wouldn't be surprising if Doughty misses a considerable amount of time. Will the injury force him to miss the regular season so the Kings can use his $11 million with a long-term injured reserve move?
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Most injuries won't take until April to recover from, even if it is a break. April would give Doughty a seven-month recovery time, which would be the worst-case scenario for the Kings. However, if it'll be four to six months, Los Angeles could take a page from their division rival Golden Knights playbook and hold Doughty out until the playoffs as he ramps up his conditioning.
Possible defense options available in trade
The severity of Doughty's injury will determine how big of a contract they can acquire. A missed 2024-25 season for Doughty allows the Kings to trade for any contract under the cap, but if Doughty returns mid-season, they must target a value contract. The Kings currently have $1.3 million in cap space, which could make finding a valuable defenseman difficult.
The Kings could look in the division at the Calgary Flames, who are open to trading Rasmus Andersson or MacKenzie Weegar. Andersson has a $4.55 million annual cap hit for the next two seasons, while Weegar has seven years left at $6.25 million. Weegar would make sense if they could fit him under the cap, as he is the left-handed alternative to Doughty and would form a formidable playoff pairing. Andersson is the defenseman who offers more value and would be the next man up with Doughty's career reaching the twilight years.
The Kings could take a big swing and check with the New York Rangers about Jacob Trouba's availability. Trouba was on the trade block earlier this summer, but talks have been quiet recently. He made waves at the start of training camp when he described this season as the “last crack” for the team's core. New York's captain is giving off some strange vibes with his place in the organization, and the Rangers would still likely be open to a deal. If Doughty will miss most of the season, Trouba is the perfect right-shot defenseman to slide in there to help make the postseason.
