Kings Star Defender Nearing Return

The Los Angeles Kings are nearing a return from their star defender.

Apr 15, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; LA Kings defenseman Drew Doughty (8) and Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi (23) battle for the puck in the second period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Battling through a midseason slump, the Los Angeles Kings are on the verge of getting one of their most important players back in the lineup. Star defenseman Drew Doughty, who has been out of the lineup since the preseason, is reportedly nearing a return for the team.

According to multiple reports around the Kings, Doughty's return could come any game now. They are out on a five-game road trip, which Doughty is attending, and the consensus takeaway is that he will play in one of these contests. Whenever he does dress for the Kings, it will be his season debut.

The Kings have fared well without their Norris Trophy-winning blue liner. Doughty sustained a fractured ankle during his first preseason game of 2024, and it's been a multiple month long recovery process. In his absence, players like Vladislav Gavrikov and rookie Brandt Clarke have stepped up to fill the void. Even still, their head coach Jim Hiller recently told The Athletic's Eric Stephens just how big an impact Doughty's return will mean.

"He’ll have an immediate impact, just coming back into the group,” he said. “He’s a really popular, energetic player. It will take him some time. We’re accepting that, that it’s like going to take him some time to get back up to speed. And when I say time, weeks. You know what I mean."

In the 45 games without Doughty, the Kings have built themselves into a playoff team. They currently have a record of 26-14-5, good for third in the Pacific Division. But adding a player of Doughty's caliber back into the lineup could be what makes them go from playoff team to true contender. The key will be to integrate him back into the roster and structure of their game, something Hiller plans to do slowly given Doughty's lengthy absence.

"We just want to, whenever that time comes, get him in and get him in for 10 or 12 minutes,” he said. “And then we‘ll see where it goes from there. He hasn’t played hockey in a long time. We won’t be able to figure that out for some time after he’s played. He’s not jumping right back in, we know that."

The question now is when exactly will Doughty return and how much will they restrict his minutes when he does? That remains a mystery, but whether it's 10 minutes, 20 minutes, or anywhere in between, it appears that Kings' number one defender is on the verge of a return.

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