As the 2025-26 NHL season gets set and underway in less than a month, veteran defenseman Drew Doughty looks to help lead the LA Kings to the playoffs for the 5th straight year.
Doughty had a rough start last season, as during a preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights, he suffered an injury that would sideline him until January 29. Doughty sustained a fractured ankle during that preseason game, and he would undergo surgery before returning with the Kings. After missing 47 games, he returned to play 24 minutes, demonstrating that his injury had not slowed him down. Doughty played 5 games for the Kings before representing Canada at the 4 Nations tournament, where he would register 1 point in 4 games played.
After the tournament and NHL regular season, Doughty would register 4 goals, 13 assists in 30 games. He would end up playing all 6 games against the Edmonton Oilers, where he registered 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points.
The last 2 seasons before Doughty's ankle injury, he was putting up 50-point seasons. With Doughty fully healthy for the upcoming 2025-26 season, I would expect him to be back around the 50-point mark. According to PuckPedia, Doughty is on the first Defensive pairing alongside Mikey Anderson, and Doughty is also on both top lines for the power play and penalty kill. The Kings are giving Doughty a lot of ice time with him being on the top line for defence, penalty kill, and power play, but I believe that Doughty will thrive off of this.
The veteran defenseman has been the core of the Kings' defensemen for over a decade, and with the Kings' forwards being led by Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, he can hold down the defence and be not only a leader for his team but also a contributor on the score sheet.
While I do not expect Doughty to achieve a career high in points this season, I believe that with the amount of playing time and the fact that he is able to play for the entire season, I would expect him to be around the 40-50 point mark. Doughty will be relied upon throughout the entire season, and with the offensive weapons that the Kings have, it could allow Doughty to reach that 50-point plateau. Doughty is a very reliable player for the Kings, and they know that if he can stay healthy, he will be a consistent player who will help them win games.