Kings Too Early Top Pair Preview

After working through the projected forward lines, it's time to look at the back end for some too early previews of the Los Angeles Kings D-core.

Most lines and pairs are a little up in the air with a spot open for chance. The Kings top D-pair is not one of them.

Mikey Anderson and Drew Doughty will anchor the Kings blue line again next season.

The the last three seasons, the pairings of Jacob Trouba-K'Andre Miller and Brady Skjei-Brett Pesce are the only two who have played more together than Anderson and Doughty.

They've been a staple for the Kings and will continue to be so next season.

They've been relied on for good reason too. Splitting offensive and defensive zone starts, they Kings have outshot, out-chanced and outscored the opposition with that pair on the ice.

It will be interesting to see how a potential system change impacts this pair.

Doughty and Anderson are perfect fits for the 1-3-1 in their given roles.

Doughty going back and retrieving pucks, often with time to operate, and Anderson acting as a shutdown stopper at the red line is perfect for their skill sets.

Doughty was by far the best puck mover for LA last season and Anderson has developed into one of the best pure shutdown defensemen in the league alongside Doughty who posted excellent shutdown numbers last season.

Even if there's a system change, I'd expect more of the same from this pair next season.

The Kings will still be a defense-first team that should suit Doughty and Anderson's skill sets.

Essentially, these are two excellent defensemen who work great as a pair and should thrive in any system.

There's always the risk that father time catches up to Doughty and causes a big regression that could sink this pair, but I don't think we're there yet with Doughty.

There are a lot of question marks about this Kings team heading into next season but the top pair isn't one of them.

It will be Anderson-Doughty and they'll perform well.