“Will not return this season” – Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty has wrist surgery, out for the season
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Drew Doughty
Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty will miss out on the season after undergoing wrist surgery on Monday. The LA Kings reported that the surgery was successful but unfortunately Doughty will not be able to make his comeback this season. He is expected to make a full recovery in the following season.
After Doughty’s surgery on Monday, the Norris Trophy winner is expected to join the training camp, but his absence from the game has dealt a blow to the Kings’ hopes of ending their 3-year playoff drought.
Drew Doughty’s absence from the season
Drew Doughty was injured during a game against Boston on March 7. Doughty hasn’t participated in 16 consecutive games since March 10. The Kings defenseman has rarely dealt with any vital injury in his 14-years NHL career spent with the team. Unfortunately, he has been in a career-low in 39 games this season.
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Doughty is the Los Angeles Kings’ highest scorer among defensemen with 7 goals and 24 assists for 31 points in 39 games. His absence from the ice has forced the team to use still inexperienced players on the blue-line and the subpar defensive play has led to Los Angeles’ late-season slide.
At first, Dought’s injury didn’t seem as serious as a season-ending injury, but three weeks ago General Manager Rob Blake made an ominous though less than a definitive statement,
“I think we’ll exhaust every option possible. I mean, he’s out there skating now but not participating in drills and things,” “That’ll be an assessment with the doctor in the next few days to understand the next step to see if he can come back and play.” Blake said on March 21th.
The Los Angeles Kings have lost 3 straight games and 10 of their last 19 heading into a game at Chicago on Tuesday night. The Kings currently stand at 38-26-10 points, as stated on usatoday.com. LA is still standing straight in the 1st place in the Pacific Division, but its lead over 4th place Vegas has shrunk to 2 points with Golden Knights holding a game in hand.
This was Drew Doughty’s 14th season with the Los Angeles Kings after his selection as the second overall in the 2008 National Hockey League Entry Draft.
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Kaushani Chatterjee
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