The worst is confirmed for Drew Doughty!

It only got worse for the Los Angeles Kings and star defenseman Drew Doughty on Friday when the team announced that the veteran player will undergo surgery to repair a fractured ankle and is listed as month-to-month.

This is a long absence for the club's stalwart on the blue line.

This is the result of what took place on Wednesday evening when Doughty hurt his left leg when he slammed into the boards while engaged with Golden Knights forward Tanner Pearson in the first period of a 3-2 victory.

Upon leaving the ice, Doughty could not put any weight on his leg and was seen leaving the team’s facility in a protective boot and using a knee scooter to get around on Thursday.

This will be a huge loss to the Kings blue line, though Kings coach Jim Hiller did say that Doughty is expected back this season.

Doughty is a huge part of the franchise entering his17th season and is one of the remaining links to their two Stanley Cup triumphs in 2012 and 2014. This past season, Doughty led all Kings defensemen with 15 goals and 35 assists.

For the first months of the 2024-25 season, the Kings will need to turn to young defenders like Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence. The former was Los Angeles’ eighth overall pick in the 2021 draft and is expected to play his first full NHL season after getting two goals and six assists in 25 games over the previous two campaigns. As for Spence, he did get some time on the third defensive pairing and ran the second power play, collecting two goals and 22 assists in 71 games

If the Kings can compete and rack up points to enter the playoff picture, Doughty could come back in the mid season and get them as a contender in the West.

But for now, let’s all wish Doughty a speedy recovery.