The Kings (1-4-1) have lost five consecutive games, earning just three of a possible 12 points so far this season. Winger Brendan Lemieux has returned to the team from his COVID protocol-related absence.Ĭenter Quinton Byfield continues to be out indefinitely with a broken ankle, and given the Kings’ recent struggles it’s unclear what sort of environment he will return to once his injury heals. They skated on Wednesday and could be available in the near future. Up front, Blake said Andreas Athanasiou and Lias Andersson began their conditioning and overall process to make their return. Blake also said that for the time being there were no plans to place Doughty or Walker on long-term injured reserve and that the Kings had placed both on standard IR to open up roster space.Įarlier in the season, defenseman Christian Wolanin was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Sabres, and Blake conceded that the impact of Wolanin’s departure was magnified by recent developments. Wolanin has yet to play a game for Buffalo. Of the healthy defensemen on the roster, Alex Edler’s two assists represent the sum of the corps’ offensive production.īlake said that for the time being, the Kings were filling the gaps left by Doughty and Walker internally, but that they were exploring all their options. The lack of bodies and dearth of offensive contributions from the back end might be more pressing concerns. The Kings have five left-shooting defensemen and only two right-handed shots on their current roster, and another injury could place them in the uncomfortable position of having significant imbalance. Walker had two assists in the first six games of this, his fourth NHL season.įor the time being, Austin Strand, who played 13 games last season and one thus far in 2021-22, and Kale Clague, a left-handed shooter with experience on the right side and 22 NHL games under his belt, will jump in at right defense. ![]() He produced 12 points and a plus-13 rating in the 17 victories that he was a part of, but just six points and a negative-26 rating in the 30 losses he participated in. Walker’s production was something of a bellwether for the Kings last season. That was despite Walker producing below expectations early and then sustaining an injury that caused him to miss nine games, and Doughty’s output tailing off significantly late in the season. Last season he and Walker, both of whom are right-handed shooters, produced 52 points, comfortably ahead of the cumulative total of 42 of their other defensemen. This season, Doughty has more points than the rest of the Kings’ defensemen combined. Doughty played in all 82 games for five consecutive seasons from 2014-19, and he played in all 56 games last year – the eighth time he has played every game of a season. The two-time Stanley Cup winner and two-time Olympic gold medalist has been a model of consistency and durability for his entire career, missing just 19 games over the course of 13 seasons. “I talked to him a little bit about that, just knowing that the outcome was (16) years later with no effects.” “I had the surgery, the same type of procedure, I would imagine, Sean will have here in a few weeks,” Blake said. Blake missed the remainder of 1995-96, but he went on to play 13 more seasons in the NHL. Louis.īlake sustained a partially torn ACL in 1995, and eerily did so at the same point of the season as Walker sustained his injuries, six games into his campaign. Walker was injured Monday night during a 3-0 loss to the Blues in St. Walker sustained a tear of his medial collateral ligament and anterior cruciate ligament, injuries that will require surgery once the swelling has diminished. ![]() Hakanpaa didn’t receive any additional NHL discipline for his hit on Doughty. ![]() Hakanpaa received a five-minute major and a game misconduct after he skated into Doughty while the Kings star passed the puck and attempted to avoid the contact. The 31-year-old Doughty was injured by an illegal knee-to-knee hit from Dallas defenseman Jani Hakanpaa during a 3-2 loss to the Stars on Friday night in Dallas. He said Doughty sustained a tibial plateau contusion, with a timeline to resume skating in around six weeks and potentially to return to game action in eight weeks. General Manager Rob Blake shared the updates during a conference call on Wednesday, ahead of Thursday’s home game against the Winnipeg Jets. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty will be out for approximately two months with a bruised right knee and defenseman Sean Walker is out for the season after tearing ligaments in his knee.
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