Burroughs, Clarke prepared to assume expanded roles in the absence of Drew Doughty

As we learned earlier on today, defenseman Drew Doughty is out of action on a month-to-month timeline with a fractured ankle.

Doughty will have surgery to repair his left ankle and is expected back this season. All-in-all, it sounds as if the injury could have been much worse. Doughty being expected to return this season is a great thing. He won’t be available for the foreseeable future, however, and the Kings have games to play beginning October 10. For at least the first 20 or so games, you’d imagine that the Kings will be without their number-one defenseman. More on what’s to come with that situation HERE.

Being Drew Doughty, you can’t simply replace him. Doughty is an elite player, he’s a true number-one defenseman and if the Kings had another player like him, he’d already be in the lineup. The replacement, both as a player and as a leader, needs to come collectively.

On the ice, the two players who are likely impacted the most are Kyle Burroughs and Brandt Clarke.

Starting with Burroughs, he’s skated alongside Mikey Anderson over the last couple of days.

Burroughs was acquired over the summer from San Jose and thankfully he was. 73 games of NHL experience last season on a subpar Sharks team, but he played higher in the lineup and was close to 20 minutes a night. It’s a big opportunity for Burroughs, certainly, as an individual. For the team, though, he’s a player the Kings will need to step up.

Burroughs was among the NHL leaders among defensemen in hits last season, offering physicality and edge with his game. He’s also a pretty solid skater, especially for a player who is not known for his offensive game. Some good tools and a player who knows the way he wants to play the game.

“For me, I like to play with an edge,” Burroughs said of his own style. “I’m obviously not the biggest guy in the world, but for me to show up like that and add that into my game is something that take pride in, It’s a piece that has helped me, I think. Not all guys are going to play power play, but if you can play PK, block shots, be physical, make it hard on the other team. That’s something I take pride in.”

This is not the first introduction for Burroughs to Head Coach Jim Hiller, either.

Burroughs was in the Islanders organization for several seasons, playing 304 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers during his developmental years. Hiller was an assistant coach with the Islanders during that time and heard all about Burroughs, as a person and as a player.

“He had that full season last year in San Jose and I’ve known him for a long time, he was in the Islanders organization when I was there,” Hiller said. “He played with a lot of the Islanders in the minors and those guys, when we traded for him, were texting me, telling me, this guy’s unbelievable, you’re going to love him, what a great character player. That goes a long way and it’s showing on the ice, I think he played 25 minutes [in Vegas] and had a good game.”

Burroughs, like the rest of the players in the room, would prefer to have Doughty available, noting about his worry for the person first, not to mention a player who is a “pillar” for the Kings organization.

With a timeline now known, however, the Kings have to look forward. Burroughs understands the opportunity in front of him and is working on it as best he can.

“There’s chances for people to step up and you’ve got to be a deep team to be a good team,” Burroughs said of his opportunity. “For me to get chances, maybe some more touches, more ice, have more of an impact on the game, it’s something that I don’t want to wander away.”

For Clarke, the Kings aren’t looking to blow things up regarding the plan they came into camp with for him.

Clarke has continued to skate with Joel Edmundson on a defensive pairing, despite the injury to Doughty, though he filled in on the top power-play unit during today’s practice.

As far as the power play specifically, Hiller called it what Clarke does better than anything else. It’s the “easiest transition” for him, is to slot in with a larger role on the man advantage. Seeing him there is not surprising, considering his poise with the puck and his ability to seek out a pass.

Regarding his overall body of work, the Kings want Clarke to assume some of those minutes as well, but it’ll be earned not given.

“If he earns them, I’d be happy to give it to him,” Hiller said of Clarke’s minutes this season. “Our best players are who is going to play, we’ve tried to do that from the start and it doesn’t matter, young or old. We’ve got a lot of young players with potential who think they can take the next step, Clarkie being one of them. If they take the step and continue to go, they’re going to get to go.”

Clarke is a confident young player and he believes he’s ready to help.

He said he’d have preferred, obviously, to assume a larger role following the path that Doughty forged, as opposed to going it without him. That much is obvious. The fact is, though, that Doughty isn’t available right now and the Kings will need more from multiple people, especially on the right side of the blueline. Clarke believes that he is ready to help, as the team sees fit.

“I’m up for the challenge, it’s being thrown in the deep end here but I don’t mind that at all, I’ve done that before in my life and kind of doing that again now,” Clarke said. “That’s going to be fun and I’m up for the challenge, we’ll see how it goes. Personally, I feel like I’ve told people this, but I’m in the best shape of my life right now, so I’m ready for what’s to come.”

I think the Kings want to exercise patience with Clarke. They don’t want to overwhelm them. If his play dictates it, though, I don’t think there will be any hesitation in giving him more minutes and more icetime.

Clarke spoke candidly in the interview about about the work he put in defensively over the summer. The offensive gifts haven’t gone anywhere, either. Hiller complemented Clarke’s overall game during his preseason debut in Utah the other night and the Kings want to see that continued growth from him.

In terms of areas for improvement, Clarke spoke about gap control, winning netfront battles in the defensive zone and “ending” plays defensively as areas he’s trying to work on with his own play. We’ll see that continued growth as he keeps working on things.

It’s a balance, though, because you have to let a player do the things that make him special. For Clarke, that’s his ability with the puck on his stick, his ability to make plays. Excited to see him continue to grow and evolve this season. Few good quotes in the video above, worth a watch to hear from the young blueliner.

Empire Classic in Ontario tomorrow, as the Kings play Game 3 of 6 this preseason. Expecting we will see the debuts of Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, with some others from the main squad likely to join them. Important game in a sentimental way for several players who grew up and developed in Ontario. Will share a few of those thoughts tomorrow, among others, in the game preview!