Veteran Kings defenceman Doughty breaks ankle in pre-season game: report

Los Angeles Kings defenceman Drew Doughty sustained a fractured left ankle during NHL pre-season action versus the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday, the Daily Faceoff reported.

Per the report, he is scheduled to undergo additional imaging to determine if there is other structural damage.

Doughty, 34, was injured during the first period following a collision along the boards with Golden Knights forward Tanner Pearson.

Doughty recorded 15 goals and 50 points while averaging 25 minutes 48 seconds of ice time in 82 regular-season games in the 2023-24 campaign.

A former Norris Trophy recipient as the NHL's top defenceman, Doughty has collected 156 goals and 669 points in 1,177 regular-season contests since the Kings drafted him second overall in 2008.

Doughty is a two-time Stanley Cup winner and four-time all-star with Los Angeles.

Juraj Slafkovsky was drafted to the NHL first overall like Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard. The spotlight, however, has not been quite as bright or the hype train as strong for him in Montreal.

"I like it that way," Slafkovsky said.

Regardless of the attention or lack thereof, Slafkovsky is on the vanguard of hockey's next generation of stars, along with the likes of San Jose's Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, Buffalo's JJ Peterka and New Jersey's Luke Hughes.

"It's really cool to be a part of it, and I hope I will be a part of it," Slafkovsky said two years after the Canadiens took him at No. 1 in 2022.

Newcomers like Celebrini, Smith, Philadelphia's Matvei Michkov and even teammate Lane Hutson are front-runners in the race for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.

The most recent No. 1 pick does not have the so-called