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-USA TODAY Sports

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Drew Doughty Returns to Los Angeles Kings After Injury

Drew Doughty makes season debut in a 3-0 loss to Panthers, logging 23:51 of ice time after recovering from a preseason ankle injury

Drew Doughty returned to the ice for the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, making his season debut in a 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena. The veteran defenseman played a team-high 23:51 and registered two shots on goal.

The 35-year-old had been sidelined since breaking his left ankle during a preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights on September 25. Doughty rejoined the team for practice in a non-contact jersey on January 20, gradually working his way back.

DREW IS BACK! 👑

Drew Doughty will return to the @LAKings' lineup and make his season debut tonight in Florida! pic.twitter.com/39eXv6N1Jz
— NHL (@NHL) January 29, 2025

“It has been a long time, but the guys have done a really good job in his absence, We’re proud of the [defense] corps. We’re optimistic for him, right? He has not played in a long time, so we don’t want to overplay him, but we probably will. Coaches tend to do that. We want to keep the expectations realistic for him. It’s going to take a little time for him to get into form, but we’re happy. We’re starting the process. : coach Jim Hiller said

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Last season, he was a key player for the Kings, tallying 50 points (15 goals, 35 assists) in 82 games and ranking second in the NHL in average ice time at 25:48 per game. He’s a two-time Stanley Cup champion (2012, 2014) and won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman in 2015-16.

On Wednesday, Doughty worked with the Kings’ top power-play unit during the morning skate and was paired on defense with Jacob Moverare. Doughty has had an impressive career, being drafted second overall by the Kings in 2008, racking up 669 points (156 goals, 513 assists) in 1,178 regular-season games and 57 points (18 goals, 39 assists) in 95 playoff games.

Imagn Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Drew Doughty

Los Angeles Kings

NHL

Anamika Shrivastava

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