Kings’ Drew Doughty helped off ice during preseason game against Golden Knights

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty left Wednesday’s preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights with a lower-body injury.

The Kings would confirm on social media that Doughty would not return to the game.

The incident occurred midway through the first period when Doughty and Golden Knights’ forward Tanner Pearson got tangled up near the Kings’ blue line.

The 34-year-old defender finished his check when his left foot went awkwardly into the boards, leaving Doughty on the ice holding his leg.

Doughty required help off the ice and went straight to the locker room. This was Doughty’s first taste of game action in 2024-25 as he did not dress in the team’s first preseason contest against Utah Hockey Club.

Last season, Doughty had 15 goals and 35 assists for 50 points, averaging 25:48 of ice time in 82 regular-season games for the Kings. In their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, Doughty had two goals and an assist for three points in five games.

Through 16 NHL seasons, Doughty, taken No. 2 overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, has 156 goals and 513 assists for 669 points, averaging 26:13 of ice time in 1,177 regular-season games. The four-time All-Star also won the Norris Trophy for the league’s top defender in 2015-16.

Doughty, a native of London, Ont., has played in 95 playoff games, scoring 18 goals and 39 assists for 57 points, averaging just under 28 minutes of ice time during that span. The majority of those came in a three-year span when the Kings won two Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014.

The Kings went 44-27-11 with 99 points in 2023-24, third in the Pacific Division. They were eliminated in five games in the first round by the Oilers.