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Drew Doughty Expected To Miss Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

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11/17: The Kings have confirmed that Doughty is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury per the team’s Manager of Editorial Content Zach Dooley. No details were provided on the injury, though they did clarify that it is unrelated to the ankle injury he sustained last season. Hopefully that will help him recover quickly, with a winning Kings season and Winter Olympics both at stake.

11/16: The Los Angeles Kings could be in store for a major absence. Veteran defender and alternate captain Drew Doughty was seen in a walking boot after Saturday night’s match against the Ottawa Senators, after leaving the game in the second period following a blocked shot. He appeared in pain right away, and gingerly returned to the Kings’ bench without putting weight on his left foot. The team expects to know more about his injury alter today, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. He is expected to be out week-to-week, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.

Doughty only played through 11 minutes of ice time before exiting the game. He has been heavily leaned on over Los Angeles’ recent stretch, averaging more than 22 minutes of ice time over his last five games. He’s rewarded that usage with four points, eight blocked shots, and two hits. Those numbers brought Doughty up to eight points, 30 blocks, and 11 hits in 18 games entering Saturday night.

An extended absence would be dismal news for the 36-year-old Doughty. He fractured his left ankle in a preseason game in September 2024 on an awkward hit from Tanner Pearson. The injury required surgery, sticking Doughty with a month-to-month injury designation. He didn’t return until January, and only managed 17 points in 30 games before Los Angeles’ season ended. Doughty’s health has fluctuated wildly over the second-half of his career. He enjoyed an ironman streak from 2014 to 2019, but missed 15 games in 2019-20 and 43 games in 2021-22. He returned to good health, only missing one game between 2022 and 2024, until injury derailed him last season.

Doughty was named to Team Canada’s preliminary roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics in August. He was one of 42 skaters, and 13 defenders, named to the squad – putting him under a microscope for the rest of the year. This season will likely mark Doughty’s final chance to stand as an Olympian. He has already won two Olympic Gold medals, while posting eight points in 13 games. Doughty also represented Canada at the 2025 4-Nations Face-Off, where he scored one point in four games.

Kings Sign Adrian Kempe To Eight-Year Extension

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Nov. 17: The Kings have announced Kempe’s extension as reported. PuckPedia relays that the deal contains a no-movement clause through 2029-30 that then downgrades to a 15-team no-trade list. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports the breakdown is as follows:

2026-27 through 2028-29: $1MM salary, $11MM signing bonus
2029-30: $2.5MM salary, $9.5MM signing bonus
2030-31 through 2031-32: $9.75MM salary
2032-33 through 2033-34: $8.75MM salary

Nov. 16: The Kings are in agreement with star winger Adrian Kempe on a deal to keep him in Los Angeles past this season, Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports. It’s an eight-year deal worth $85MM for a cap hit of $10.625MM, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The contract secures Kempe, who was arguably the top UFA remaining next season, in Southern California through the 2033-34 season.

Most have viewed a Kempe extension as a must-do for Kings general manager Ken Holland, and for good reason. With captain Anže Kopitar’s pending retirement already set to leave a glaring hole in their top six next season, losing a second member of their top unit would have been catastrophic.

More so than ever, Kempe has taken the reins from Kopitar as the team’s top offensive threat. With six goals and 13 assists in 19 games this season, he’s on track to hit the point-per-game mark for the first time in his career despite an early-season shooting slump. His 9.7% finishing rate is currently his worst since hitting a low of 7.4% in the 2019-20 season. He’s only on track to hit 26 goals this year at present, but with his shooting average up at 14.2% over the prior four years, there’s a high chance he’ll hit over 30 once again and finish in the 80-to-90-point range.

Kempe has now scored 30 goals in three of the last four years and would have gone four-for-four if not for a five-game absence in 2023-24. He’s been stapled to Kopitar’s wing on L.A.’s top line since first getting an extended promotion in the 2020-21 season. It was somewhat of a delayed breakout for the 29-year-old, who was a first-round pick back in 2014. He didn’t make his NHL debut until late in his third year post-draft and spent the following few years posting around 30 points a year in a middle-six role. His big break didn’t come until his first full season on Kopitar’s wing in 2021-22, when he notched a team-leading 35 goals as L.A. ended a three-year playoff drought.

The 6’2″ winger has been a money-in-the-bank producer since then, while also hitting the 100-hit mark in every year since 2021-22. Since his breakout, Kempe’s 145 goals in 337 games are tied for 21st in the league. He’s now at 200 goals for his career, putting him just inside the top 10 in Kings franchise history and 14th in points with 420.

With him and Kevin Fiala checking in as L.A.’s only semi-consistent 30-goal options, there was little chance they could sustain losing him and Kopitar without many other options slated to be available to replace them in free agency without dropping back out of the playoff picture. His new deal will make him the Kings’ highest-paid forward next year, and he could be their highest-paid player outright starting in 2027-28 with the expiry of Drew Doughty’s contract.

The Kings tried aggressively to get Kempe’s deal done months ago during the offseason, but were unsuccessful. Shortly before training camp, Kempe said he wanted something done as soon as possible and all but set the Christmas break as a drop-dead date for talks. Today’s news marks a seemingly significant concession from Kempe’s camp, which was eyeing a match to the $11.5MM average annual value that Martin Nečas landed in his extension with the Avalanche a few weeks ago.

Even with the eight-figure commitment, the Kings still boast $23.1MM in cap space for next season, per PuckPedia. That’s with seven open roster spots. The contract is also one of the few truly long-term ones left on the Kings’ books. Only Mikey Anderson, whose deal expires following the 2030-31 season, is under contract past the end of the decade.

Image courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images.

Kings To Healthy Scratch Andrei Kuzmenko

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The Kings are making winger Andrei Kuzmenko a healthy scratch for their game against the Maple Leafs tonight, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The scoring winger has been benched for significant parts of Los Angeles’ last two games, logging less than eight minutes of ice time in each.

Kuzmenko, 29, caught lightning in a bottle with the Kings last year after they picked him up from the Flyers at the trade deadline for a third-round pick. He was a seamless fit from the start as the left winger on L.A.’s top line with Anže Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, rattling off five goals and 12 assists for 17 points in 22 games down the stretch. He was lethal on the power play in their first-round loss to the Oilers, clicking at a point-per-game – including three power-play goals – while averaging north of 18 minutes per night.

The Russian winger has always been a streaky option since initially signing with the Canucks back in 2022, though. That prevented him from pursuing a longer-term deal on the free agent market last summer. While the Kings couldn’t retain their top UFA defender, Vladislav Gavrikov, they were able to reach at least a one-year agreement to retain Kuzmenko, paying him $4.3MM per season.

Kuzmenko has, by and large, retained his spot with Kopitar and Kempe this year, at least when Kopitar’s been in the lineup (he missed time in October with a foot injury), but hasn’t been nearly as productive. His ice time has been reduced back to under 15 minutes per game, and he’s only tallied three goals and seven points in 17 contests, a full-season pace of just 14 goals and 34 points. That would be the lowest offensive output of his four-year career.

Joel Armia has been bumped up to the top line with Kuzmenko’s benchings and role reduction and is expected to maintain that position tonight. In less ice time, Armia has produced more than Kuzmenko (a 3-5–8 scoring line in 17 games) with much better defensive impacts and a +4 rating. Jeff Malott will re-enter the lineup in Kuzmenko’s place, presumably in a fourth-line role, after serving as a healthy scratch in four of the Kings’ last nine games.

Adrian Kempe, Kings Reportedly Resume Negotiations

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Thanks to a strong start to the year and several free agents having been taken off the board already, Adrian Kempe of the Los Angeles Kings is arguably the best pending unrestricted free agent forward for next summer. Up to this point, the last meaningful update to extension negotiations between the two sides came a little over a week ago, when David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that the two sides remained far apart.

Much of the gap between the Kings and Kempe is influenced by salary, with Martin Nečas ’s new extension reportedly prompting Kempe to ask for $11.5MM or more on his next deal. Before Nečas’s extension, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman had speculated that Kempe would earn $10MM or more on his next deal.

After Pagnotta’s report on October 30, there was growing concern that the Kings might have a more difficult time than initially expected in making Kempe the next centerpiece of their roster. Fortunately, a new report from Pagnotta today indicates that the two sides have re-engaged on a new contract, and Kempe is confirmed to be asking for a contract similar to Nečas’.

Still, Pagnotta cautioned that nothing was close to coming out of the weekend, though Los Angeles has upped their salary offer from where they initially started. Regardless, Kempe has proved that he’s worthy of becoming Los Angeles’s highest-paid forward.

Since the start of the 2021-22 campaign, Kempe has scored 145 goals and 286 points in 334 games with a +56 rating, averaging 18:54 of ice time per game. In comparison, Nečas has scored 102 goals and 266 points in 332 games, with a +16 rating while averaging 17:55 of ice time per game. Further, in the postseason, Kempe has registered 15 goals and 29 points in 24 games while Nečas has recorded nine goals and 26 points in 47 contests.

If you’re only comparing Kempe to his most recent comparable, there’s no question he’s earned a similar contract from the Kings. As of right now, Los Angeles has approximately $33MM in cap space for next season, with Andrei Kuzmenko, Corey Perry, and Brandt Clarke being the only worthwhile free agents needing new contracts.

Los Angeles Kings To Activate Warren Foegele

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The Los Angeles Kings will activate forward Warren Foegele off of injured reserve tomorrow, team reporter Zach Dooley revealed today. Dooley also shared that Foegele says he’s “feeling really good” after missing almost two weeks with an upper-body injury. The Kings have an open spot on their active roster, so the Kings are not under any pressure to make an immediate corresponding roster move.

The 29-year-old winger hasn’t played since he suffered his injury early in the Kings’ Oct. 26 road win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Although Foegele had been playing a solid third-line left wing role alongside Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore, he had struggled to find the scoresheet through ten games of the season. He has just one point to his name in 2025-26, a notably slow start for a player who set career highs in goals (24) and points (46) last season.

With scorer Andrei Kuzmenko now occupying Foegele’s former lineup spot, Dooley reports that Foegele is “expected” to return to the lineup on the Kings’ fourth line alongside Corey Perry and Alex Turcotte. If that ends up being the case, undrafted veteran forward Jeff Malott appears set to become a healthy scratch.

The 6’5″ winger earned an NHL role after a strong 2024-25 with the AHL’s Ontario Reign (he had 23 goals, 51 points in 61 games) but has just two points through 13 NHL games this season and is averaging under eight minutes of ice time per game, with zero penalty-kill contributions.

Even if Foegele isn’t scoring, the penalty kill is where he can still make valuable contributions to the Kings’ overall efforts to win games. He ranked fourth among Kings forwards in short-handed ice time per game in 2024-25, helping the Kings to a No. 8 finish in the league’s overall penalty kill success rate standings.

With Los Angeles looking to claw its way to the top of a hotly-contested Pacific Division, Foegele’s return from injury is a helpful development, further fortifying the team’s bottom-six.

Kyle Burroughs Clears Waivers, Assigned To AHL

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Sunday: The Kings announced (Twitter link) that Burroughs has been activated off injured reserve, cleared waivers, and has been assigned to AHL Ontario.

Saturday: Veteran defenseman Kyle Burroughs has yet to play this season due to an upper-body injury sustained in the preseason.  It appears he is now ready to return but he won’t be suiting up for the Kings as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Los Angeles has placed the blueliner on waivers.

The 30-year-old is in his second season with the Kings who acquired him a little more than 14 months ago in exchange for winger Carl Grundstrom.  The move gave Los Angeles some extra defensive depth and grit on the heels of Burroughs’ best showing, a 2023-24 campaign that saw him play in 73 games where he recorded eight points, 134 blocks, and 233 hits while averaging over 19 minutes a night of playing time.

However, his first season with the Kings didn’t go anywhere near as well.  Burroughs often found himself on the outside looking in when it came to a place in the lineup and when he was dressed for a game, his role was much different.  Head coach Jim Hiller used Burroughs rather sparingly as his playing time was below eight minutes a night, making it hard for him to have the type of impact he had with San Jose.  In 33 outings, he had three assists, 14 blocks, and 42 hits.

With Burroughs cleared to come back and Los Angeles not having an open roster spot available, the Kings had a choice.  They could either send someone down (Brandt Clarke is the only waiver-exempt player so a different player would have needed to be waived) or try to send Burroughs down instead and clearly, they chose the latter route.

Burroughs is in the final season of a three-year, $3.3MM contract signed back in 2023 with the Sharks.  A $1.1MM price tag for an experienced blueliner with 201 appearances at the NHL level isn’t overly high so if there’s a team looking for some experienced depth, it’s possible that a team places a claim by Sunday’s 1 PM CT deadline.  If that doesn’t happen, the veteran will be on his way to AHL Ontario for what would be his first taste of minor league action since the 2020-21 campaign.  His entire cap hit would be cleared off the books if that happens.

Kings Place Warren Foegele On IR

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The Los Angeles Kings have moved forward Warren Foegele to injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The move is retroactive to Foegele’s last appearance on October 26th, making him eligible to be reactivated as soon as November 2nd. It seems he’ll be out for longer than that, though, with head coach Jim Hiller telling Mayor’s Manor that Foegele “isn’t close”.

Foegele was injured on an awkward hit into the boards from Chicago Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno. The hit seemed to jam up Foegele’s shoulder, though his injury hasn’t been specified beyond “upper-body”.

This absence brought an end to a 174-game ironman streak that Foegele had been riding since the 2023-24 season. He posted a career-year in his first year with the Kings last season, setting a career-high 24 goals and 46 points while averaging 16 minutes of ice time. Both his role, and his production, have dwindled this season. He has just one goal in 10 games on the year, while averaging 13 minutes.

His role has been much more defensive-oriented. The line of Foegele, Phillip Danault, and Trevor Moore has recorded the second-lowest expected-goals-against per-60 (xGA/60) of any routine Kings line. That hard-nosed, high-IQ, and defensive style has underscored Foegele’s game even as he struggles to find the back of the net.

The Kings have turned towards Jeff Malott, Alex Turcotte, and Joel Armia to fill Foegele’s minutes. Malott has one goal, and Turcotte has one assist, in two games in that span. The Kings have been better helped by 40-year-old winger Corey Perry, who has three goals, four points, and a plus-five since Foegele’s injury. That surge has helped move focus away from the Kings’ bottom-six, and away from less-experienced company filling in. Los Angeles is likely to continue rotating through depth wingers as they wait for more news of Foegele’s timeline.

Of note, the Kings opted to move Foegele to IR, and clear a roster spot, after placing defenseman Kyle Burroughs on waivers. The move leaves them with an open spot that could be used to recall the Ontario Reign’s leading scorer, Taylor Ward, or prospects Andre Lee or Francesco Pinelli.

Adrian Kempe, Kings Remain Far Apart

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In yesterday’s episode of the DFO Rundown Podcast, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period brought up Adrian Kempe and the ongoing conversations between him and the Los Angeles Kings, as the star becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season. Especially as a major player came off the market earlier today, Martin Necas, eyes turn to Kempe. As Pagnotta mentioned, he wants to stay in Los Angeles, but with each falling domino, his price keeps going up along with the potential allure of going to free agency. 

Pagnotta said in the episode that the two sides remain far apart, and that it looks to be a “grind” if they are to reach a resolution. Kempe, who was signed to a steal of a four year contract worth $5.5MM per year, will be due for a hefty raise. In the first year of the deal, he broke out as a 40-goal-scorer, and since then has been a consistent 70+ point producer. At 29, the Swede could set new heights in his contract year, already having posted 14 points in 11 games. 

Originally drafted 29th overall back in 2014, the Kings were very patient with Kempe, and it paid off. Through his first 5 professional seasons, he had yet to break out, not reaching 40 points. Many teams look to move on from such late first-round forwards on that path, but instead, Los Angeles has reaped the benefits of the long game. Kempe is on track to surpass 700 games with the black and silver in 2025-26. With legend Anze Kopitar set to retire after this season, along with his $7MM cap hit set to come off the books, giving them much needed space, the Kings hope to keep another player around for the long hall in Kempe. 

Along with Pagnotta’s thoughts, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet discussed Kempe last week on The FAN Hockey Show, saying he could command north of $10MM. Currently, AFP Analytics projects a seven-year deal worth $9.175MM, but with Necas all set at 8 years, $11.5MM per season, Kempe’s price has likely gone up, and will continue to do so. 

With the Kings off to a respectable start, 5-3-3, the group’s goal of making one final run for Kopitar will dominate their headlines for months to come. However, Kempe’s status will also be a huge one to monitor; not only in Los Angeles, but also from other teams eagerly awaiting the possibility to sign him in July, especially if he can surpass the point-per-game mark this season for the first time. 

Kings Activate, Reassign Angus Booth

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The Kings announced Monday that they’ve activated defenseman Angus Booth from the season-opening injured reserve/non-roster list and subsequently assigned him to AHL Ontario. Since Booth is on a two-way contract and did not spend a day on the NHL roster last season, he carried no salary cap impact while on SOIR.

Booth, 21, was a fourth-round pick in 2022 and is entering the second season of his entry-level contract. While he signed his rookie deal nearly two years ago, it slid for the 2023-24 season, which he spent entirely in juniors. The 6’0″, 176-lb lefty was a defensive standout in the QMJHL, where he won a championship with the Shawinigan Cataractes in his draft year and had 23 points in 42 games. His offensive numbers never progressed past that point, but he did have a strong sendoff year between Shawinigan and Baie-Comeau in 2023-24, logging a 3-25–28 scoring line in 61 games with a career-best +29 rating.

That showing preceded a fairly linear transition to the pro game for Booth in 2024-25. He didn’t look out of place as a rookie with AHL Ontario last season and slotted in well as a bottom-four piece, rattling off two goals, 11 assists, 13 points, and a plus-six rating with 38 penalty minutes in 50 outings. A lower-body injury sustained early in training camp cost him any shot at making the NHL roster in his second professional season, but he’ll now get his season underway and hope to put himself in consideration for a recall if injuries pile up.

Booth still has this year and the next one ahead of him to prove he’s developed enough to earn a qualifying offer. He’ll be a restricted free agent in 2027.

Foegele Leaves Sunday's Game With Injury

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  • The Kings announced (Twitter link) that winger Warren Foegele exited tonight’s game against Chicago with an injury and will not return. The injury occurred in the first period on a hit from Nick Foligno and he looked to be favoring his shoulder afterward.  After putting up his second straight season of at least 20 goals and 40 points in 2024-25, Foegele has had a slow start to his campaign with just one point – a goal – in his first ten outings.  There was no update on his status after the game, mentions Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider (Twitter link).

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