LA Kings defense injuries could force Doughty to play mega minutes

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty is prepared to play any amount of ice-time for the remainder of his team’s first-round postseason series with the San Jose Sharks and even beyond.

“I’m ready for whatever,” he said.

With defenseman Alec Martinez nursing an undisclosed injury, Doughty could receive the ‘Duncan Keith Treatment’ from the Kings coaching staff. Last playoffs, injuries hit the Chicago Blackhawks and hurt their blueline depth. Because of this, Keith had to step up and average 31:07 minutes per-night on his way to the Conn Smythe Trophy.

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Even with a healthy Martinez, the Kings’ fifth and sixth defensemen were considered an Achilles heel for the group. Without him, Los Angeles could add Jamie McBain, who’s never played in the postseason, into their lineup. Defenseman Matt Greene has been skating with the group recently, but remains out with a shoulder injury. Greene only played three games this season.

The Kings are down 0-1 in the series with Game 2 at home Saturday. In Game 1, Doughty played 29:19 and was a minus-2. In LA’s 2014 Stanley Cup run, he averaged 28:45 of ice-time and had 18 points in 26 games played.

“There are so many different ways around, but you need the depth to be able to handle it,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said when asked about injuries on his defense. “I mean, it becomes so much more prevalent during the playoffs because top players do play more, and coaches are going to get guys out against who they think they can, and obviously it does make a difference. It is frustrating? Sure it is. But at the same time, if you’re just going to use that as an excuse, it’s going to take a little impact. It’s like asking about Drew. Hey, we still need Drew to be a 30-minute guy and be totally effective for those 30 minutes, and then you’ve got to spread it from there and saw it off.”

In the past the Kings had enough defensive depth to overcome such issues. In 2014 the Kings dealt with injuries to defensemen Willie Mitchell and Robyn Regehr and won the Stanley Cup.

This was because they had playoff-tested veterans who could jump in and not allow such a drop-off. Currently McBain is really the organization’s only NHL-ready option. He averaged 12:14 of ice-time on the season, scoring two goals and adding seven assists in 44 games played in LA. Friday the team recalled defenseman Kevin Gravel from the AHL’s Ontario Reign. The 24-year-old Gravel was a fifth-round pick in the 2010 NHL Draft and played just five NHL games in his career.

Doughty displayed trust in however the Kings decide to move forward with their defense.

“We have three pairs and guys who aren’t in the lineup and guys that are very good defensemen and guys we trust fully,” he said. “We can roll three pairs … we know we have six very good defensemen in our lineup every single night and six guys that can be very effective.”

Defense tends to be a position where mistakes are magnified and obvious. It’s not an easy spot to play – especially stepping into a role in the playoffs where one shift can change the tone and tenor of a series.

“It’s the toughest position, but hey, you still need them to give you, whether it’s 10 minutes or 15 minutes, they’ve got to be quality,” Sutter said. “That’s when you say, ‘what did I think about it,’ that’s what I base it on, is how they play.”

Doughty and Keith are almost equals in skill and winning pedigree. Keith has won two Norris Trophies and Doughty has been a Norris finalist twice. Keith has won three Stanley Cups to Doughty’s two. Both are considered two of the top puck-moving, all-around defensemen in the Western Conference.

Doughty said he watched Keith last playoffs and marveled at what the blueliner’s performance in leading his team to the Stanley Cup.

“Defense kind of get overlooked for those kind of things a lot of times and he was very deserving of it,” Doughty said of Keith winning the Conn Smythe. “If he hadn’t won I wouldn’t have been upset, but I probably would have said something about it.”

Can he have that type of run? It’ll be tough, but it’s not out of the question for a player of Doughty’s capability.

Said Sutter, “You know what? He just told me, actually, how good he felt last night. Usually when he says that, he’s thinking about how more is better, which is awesome to have a player like that who wants that and can handle that.”

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper