Drew Doughty isn't enjoying 'most embarrassing' stretch of NHL career

You don’t have to be a mathematician to see that the start of the 2018-19 campaign hasn’t been ideal for the Los Angeles Kings.

Following a 5-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs where they were basically dominated in every facet of the game on home ice, they sit last in the NHL with a record of 5-11-1. Their two goals per game is also in the league’s basement. A power play efficiency of 14.3 percent has them in the bottom five and their average of 27.6 shots per game is in the bottom three.

No matter how you slice it, things have been far from royal for the Kings and Drew Doughty, the squad’s stud blueliner, is sick of it.

“This is the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever had to deal with in my hockey career, all of us have ever had to deal with in our hockey careers,” Doughty said Wednesday, according to Kings insider Jon Rosen of FOX Sports West.

In fairness, things have been quite peachy for Doughty since being selected second overall by Los Angeles in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. His steady defensive presence and consistent offensive production have made him one of the premier defenceman in the league for nearly a decade.

Currently in the 11th season of his career, the 28-year-old has already lifted the Stanley Cup over his head twice, while winning a Norris Trophy as the league’s top blueliner in 2016.

Things have slowly gone downhill for the Kings since their last championship in 2014, though. They’ve only made the playoffs in two of the last four campaigns and won just a single postseason contest in that span.

“You want to put a finger on it and you want to know exactly why this is happening, but it’s hard to figure out,” added Doughty.

Well Drew, it sucks to say this, but your team is getting old. And they’re slow. And that isn’t a good recipe for success in today’s game.

A 35-year-old Ilya Kovalchuk is currently leading the team in goals (5) and points (14). Jeff Carter, who turns 34 on Jan. 1, is tied for second in points with Doughty. Both have ten so far this season.

With limited firepower to worry about, opposing teams have focused its defensive resources on containing superstar captain Anze Kopitar, and it’s been an effective strategy. Coming off a career year where he posted 35 goals and 92 points, he only has two tallies and six points as we near the quarter mark of the schedule.

To make matters worse, LA’s top two goaltenders Jonathan Quick and Jack Campbell are currently out due to injuries. On top of that, the young talent that the organization has brought in hasn’t been able to get the job done. Adrian Kempe, a Swedish forward selected in the first round of the 2014 draft, only has two goals and three points in 17 games this season.

Doughty hasn’t looked beyond his own play, either. Despite leading the league in average ice time — nearly 27 minutes a game — and his team in defenceman scoring, he’s not pleased with his on-ice contribution.

“Even myself, I’m going out there, I’ve been friggin’ minus almost every game, it seems like, whether it was an empty net or whatever it may be,” he said. “I’m going out there thinking, ‘don’t get scored on, don’t get scored on,’ and when you think that way, the bad things happen.”

Clearly, it isn’t too sunny in California. Now that one of the the Kings’ leaders has spoken out about it, we’ll wait to see what this team does to attempt to turn things around.

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