Drew Doughty injury update: Insider lays out timeline for $88,000,000 Kings D-man's return, 4 Nations decision

Drew Doughty has been injured for several months. The Los Angeles Kings defenseman sprained his ankle on September 25. He's been out of the lineup since then, but is finally about ready to get back on the ice for the third-placed Kings.

TSN insider Darren Dreger says that the defenseman, who signed an eight-year, $88 million contract, is within a week from returning to the ice. He's still not quite ready for game action, but is slowly working back up to game speed.

Dreger wrote on X:

"Drew Doughty is expected to return to the Kings in the next 3-5 games. His health is great, but needs time to get back up to speed. Hence, Canada is slow playing a decision in replacing Petro."

The Canadian 4 Nations Face-Off team now has a bit of reprieve from some injuries. They've suffered an injury to Alexander Pietrangelo and may have to replace him for next month's event. With Doughty back, they don't necessarily have to make that decision right now.

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Drew Doughty addresses injury recovery

Drew Doughty has been out of the lineup for a very long time. He hasn't played since late September but is inching closer to a return. He could play a big role down the stretch for the Los Angeles Kings.

Drew Doughty is nearing a return (Imagn)

He addressed his long absence and the path to recovery, via LA Kings Insider:

“It’s sucked, I’m not going to lie. It’s very repetitive, you have to work your bag off, even just to get something back like mobility, that’s a lot of hard work to get back. The hard work just never stops.

"I’m in the gym every day doing that stuff, now I’m getting bag (skated) here every day and this is kind of the point where I’m almost at my tipping point where I just want to play a game. I’m sick of doing this stuff. I’ve had a good mentality for most of it, but right now, it’s kind of been the toughest point for me.”

The LA Kings are currently clinging to third place, which keeps them out of wild card contention. They are three points up on the Calgary Flames and they'll take advantage of Doughty to hold them off the rest of the way.