Drew Doughty's most significant obstacle over the last few seasons has been staying clear of injury for the Los Angeles Kings. The legendary defenseman missed 63 games last season before returning in time for the 4 Nations Face-Off. However, while this foot injury will keep him out for a bit of time, it shouldn't affect his status for the Olympics if Team Canada selects him, given head coach Jim Hiller's recent timeline.
“Well, I mean, we lost him last year for I think five months, so we've gone through it before,” Hiller said. “It's like any player. Someone else has to step up. Probably, other players will assume more minutes. The nice part about this is he's week-to-week, not month-to-month. Last time was month-to-month, so we can kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel already.”
Doughty blocked a shot off his left leg during the second period of Saturday night's win over the Ottawa Senators. He stayed on the ice and made a nice play to preserve the team's shutout, but departed for the rest of the game at the end of his shift. He was then seen leaving the stadium in a walking boot.
Doughty has eight points in 19 games for the Kings this season, while playing some of his best defense in recent years. It is clear that he is using the motivation of the Olympics to turn back the clock, and it has also catapulted the Kings to the top of the Pacific Division. The news of Drew Doughty's injury comes at a tough time for the franchise, as they celebrated Adrian Kempe's contract extension on Sunday.
