Is Drew Doughty the best fit to replace Pietrangelo for Canada at 4 Nations?
Alex Pietrangelo’s withdrawal from the 4 Nations Face-Off leaves Team Canada with a big hole to fill on the right side of its defence.
The highly decorated defenceman just returned from a fractured ankle that forced him to miss the Los Angeles Kings’ first 47 games. Doughty has not hidden his desire to represent his country again, and Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman reported late last month that Doughty is “the guy to beat” as the replacement for Pietrangelo.
“I know I’m in the group of guys they’re looking at, and I told them I want to be there,” Doughty, 35, told reporters Tuesday. “I’m hoping I’m going to keep improving. They’ve got a couple more games to watch me and see that I deserve that spot.”
The Kings have not eased Doughty back into the lineup. He is averaging 25:17 of ice time over his first four games, which leads the team. Most impressively, he played 27:43 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 30 in the second half of a back-to-back.
That was not Los Angeles’ plan, though. When Doughty returned, Kings coach Jim Hiller started him on the third pair with Jacob Moverare, but an upper-body injury to Mikey Anderson forced Hiller to move Doughty up to the top pair alongside Vladislav Gavrikov. The Kings have generated 45.9 per cent of the expected goals at 5-on-5 when Doughty and Gavrikov have been on the ice, which is solid considering the quality of competition they have faced.
Doughty has shown few signs of rust. In his words, his passing has been “on point” over the past four games. He has completed eight of 10 stretch passes (80 per cent) and 51 of 63 outlet passes (81 per cent). Last season, he connected on 68.2 per cent of his stretch passes and 76 per cent of his outlet passes.
“I was kind of shocked myself that I was still passing the puck that well,” Doughty told reporters before Los Angeles’ 6-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday. “(I’ve) got to get some defensive things going, but my competitiveness is there. My energy, all that stuff is good. I’m just going to get better.”
Canada’s management group, which is led by Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney, has a wide array of right-handed defencemen to choose from to take Pietrangelo’s place.
Edmonton Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard, considered one of the biggest snubs when tournament rosters were released in December, is having another impressive offensive season with 43 points in 54 games. Bouchard, who has helped the Oilers generate 62.9 per cent of the expected goals at 5-on-5 during his minutes, knows how to complement elite players. (Team Canada assistant captain Connor McDavid, who has shared the ice with Bouchard for around 1,600 minutes at even strength since last season, can vouch for that.)
Toronto’s Chris Tanev sits at the opposite end of the spectrum from Bouchard. He does the dirty work defensively, ranking third among all skaters in blocked shots (142) and tied for 12th among defencemen in puck battle wins (122).
MacKenzie Weegar, who scored 20 goals last season, can impact the game on both ends of the ice. The Calgary Flames defender is top-five at the position this season in defensive plays (524) and possession-driving plays (1,372).
Doughty’s extensive experience in high-pressure situations, however, could give him the edge.
“I know Drew, he’s a competitor, he’s a warrior, he’s given so much already to the success of the Canadian program,” Hiller told reporters Tuesday. “I’m sure he’d love to get out there and play again. We support him. Whichever way that comes down, we support him 100 per cent.”
