Kings’ Drew Doughty expected to make season debut Wednesday vs. Panthers

Los Angeles Kings’ head coach Jim Hiller confirmed to reporters Wednesday morning that defenseman Drew Doughty is expected to make his 2024-25 regular-season debut Wednesday night against the Florida Panthers.

Doughty took the ice with his teammates on Wednesday, working with the first power play unit.

Doughty has been out since late September with a fractured ankle suffered in a preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Initial x-rays showed the 34-year-old defenseman had a fractured ankle, but there was no structural damage.

Doughty’s 2023-24 season was one of the most productive of his career, scoring 15 goals, the second-most in his 16-year career, and finishing with 50 points, the fifth time he’s hit the 50-point mark in a season.

Through 16 NHL seasons, Doughty, taken No. 2 overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, has 156 goals and 513 assists for 669 points, averaging 26:13 of ice time in 1,177 regular-season games.

The four-time All-Star also won the Norris Trophy for the league’s top defender in 2015-16, scoring 14 goals and 37 assists for 51 points.

Doughty, a native of London, Ont., has played in 95 playoff games, scoring 18 goals and 39 assists for 57 points, averaging just under 28 minutes of ice time during that span. The majority of those came in a three-year span when the Kings won two Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014.

The Kings are 26-15-6 with 58 points, third in the Pacific Division. The team os pm a bit of a slide, losing six of their last eight games dating back to Jan. 11.

Adrian Kempe leads the team with 24 goals and 44 points, while captain Anze Kopitar, now in his 19th NHL season, has a team-leading 31 assists.