DIFFICULT DAYS FOR DOUGHTY
All-star Kings defenceman insists he’s not sacrificing defence to create more offence
Drew Doughty had something to say. He just didn’t know if he should say it.
After all, he was in Canada again.
It’s a country where the London, Ont., native has lately become public enemy No. 1. He’s been long hated in Calgary for his ongoing rivalry with Matthew Tkachuk. And lately he’s despised in Vancouver, where his comment about the Canucks after an 8-2 loss — to “a team like that” — made its way on T-shirts.
But it’s in Toronto where Doughty’s words seem to strike the biggest nerves.
Two years ago, the Los Angeles Kings defenceman caused a stir when he told reporters that the Maple Leafs wouldn’t win a championship because the team didn’t play defence. A year later, when asked if the acquisition of John Tavares brought Toronto closer to a Stanley Cup, he jokingly replied: “You have to have good defence to win championships, but I guess when you’re scoring seven goals a game … you can win games that way too.”
He wasn’t wrong. And normally, Doughty would be the first one to rub in the fact that the Leafs — with all that firepower and all that money tied up into their top players — have not only suffered back-to-back-to-back first-round losses, but are also barely hanging on to the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
That is, if the team Doughty plays for wasn’t in an even worse position.
“I was in Vancouver and guys twisted my words. I’m just done with it, to be honest,” he said of talking about the Leafs, or any team for that matter. “I just want to play and win games.”
For Doughty, that’s becoming harder and harder these days. While the Leafs are playing below expectations, the 13th-place Kings are where everyone pretty much expected they would be in the Western Conference after finishing with the second-worst record in the NHL last year.
It’s not easy to talk trash when you’re constantly getting your teeth kicked in. And for Doughty and the Kings, it’s a feeling that doesn’t look likely to change any time soon, even though Doughty doesn’t sound like he completely believes that.
“We’re feeling all right,” he said. “Obviously, we’d like to be in a better spot, we’d like to have won more games. At the same time, there’s some games that we could’ve won that we blew in the third period … when we execute our system, we can play really good hockey and play with the best teams in the league.”
This isn’t the same Kings team that won championships in
2012 and 2014. Since then, they haven’t even reached the second round. Now, it doesn’t even look like they will make the playoffs.
Old and slow with too many bloated contracts and too many players well past their prime, Los Angeles has long been due for a painful rebuild. It’s a position that Doughty didn’t expect to be in when he signed an eight-year, US$88-million contract extension through the 2026-27 season last year. Based on his play — he has four goals and 10 points, with two game-winners, in 14 games — it doesn’t look like he fully accepts it, either.
“Drew’s been a very good player for us,” said head coach Todd McLellan. “He’s pressing to be perfect and that’s hard to be in this league. But he’s a proud player and wants to improve in every facet.
“I’m sure he also understands where we’re at in the evolution of our team. Some nights are tougher than others. And he still seems to get the job done.”
On some nights, it looks like Doughty is trying to do it all himself.
There’s probably some truth to that. Only Anze Kopitar has more points (13) than Doughty and no one on the team has scored more than four goals. If he’s not scoring, no one really is.
The problem is, his offence has come at a cost.
Doughty, who was a teamworst minus-34 last season, has a minus-7 that ranks second-last on the Kings.
“I’m not trying to do more offensively,” he said. “Yeah, I want to get more points, I’m never happy that I’m never in the top 10 in points in the league for D-men. It’s happened a few times, but not often enough. Part of it for sure is the system. I’m able to get up more and get more points … I just want to stop being on the ice for goals. That’s all I’m thinking about now.”
Well, that and the Leafs. He can’t help it. This is the team that he grew up watching and the team that his friends back home still cheer for. He gets up for these games, sometimes a little too much.
The last time Doughty was in Toronto, he had a minus-2 rating in a 4-1 loss.
“I love coming here,” he said. “Last year, I kind of played like s--t and I was probably too amped up for the game and knowing that I was going to have a matchup with (Auston) Matthews.”
So what does he think about this year’s Leafs? Are they getting closer to winning a Cup?
“I wouldn’t say that,” said Doughty. “I know that they have a really good roster, but a lot of teams have good rosters in this league. I don’t think that they’re in first place in the East are they, so that means there’s some better teams right now, just judging off the standings.”
Doughty stopped there. After all, Los Angeles isn’t one of those teams that are better. mtraikos@postmedia.com twitter.com/Michael_Traikos
I just want to stop being on the ice for goals. That’s all
I’m thinking about now.