Kings place Drew Doughty on injured reserve

The Los Angeles Kings announced on Thursday that defenseman Drew Doughty has been placed on injured reserve, while goaltender Pheonix Copley has been recalled from the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

Doughty missed Los Angeles’ 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Monday with a lower-body injury after a blocked shot forced him to exit the team’s 1-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Doughty, 36, has just two goals and six assists for eight points in 19 games this season, while averaging just over 22 and a half minutes of ice time. The veteran may not put up the offensive production he did in his prime, like when he registered 14 goals and 37 assists for 51 points en route to a Norris Trophy in 2015-16, or when he tallied 10 goals and 50 assists for 60 points in 2017-18, but he still leads the Kings in ice time per game and is relied upon in all special teams situations.

The two-time Stanley Cup champion’s absence will not only affect the Kings, but also Doughty’s chances of making the Canadian Men’s Olympic team for February’s 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. The London, Ontario native was a part of Canada’s championship team at last February’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, where he had an assist in four games. He was also a member of Canada’s gold-medal winning teams at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, along with Canada’s championship team at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Copley, 33, has yet to play for the Kings since coming over in an October 15th trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning. In seven games for the AHL’s Reign this season, he has an .870 save percentage and a 3.84 goals-against average.

The Kings will finish up a six-game road trip against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday before coming home to face the Boston Bruins on Friday.