Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty is dealing with concussion-like symptoms after taking a hit from Carolina Hurricanes forward Erik Cole on Wednesday. The Kings hope he’ll be able to return for Wednesday’s game in Chicago against the Blackhawks, according to Rotoworld.com.
The team opted against putting him on the injured reserve because doing so would have made him unavailable for the game he’s nearly certain to miss (tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild) as well as two that are toss-ups (Wednesday vs. Chicago and Thursday in Dallas against the Stars).
Doughty is off to a relatively slow start with zero goals and one assist in five games played, but his impact cannot be solely measured in offensive numbers. The Kings hope to get their dynamic young defenseman back as soon as possible, but we’ll pass along updates as they come in.