Practice 2/4 – Doughty Talks 4 Nations, Kopitar on s(L)oveni(A), Anderson Update, Practice Structure

Happy Tuesday, Insiders.

The Kings were back at it today in a full-team capacity after Jim Hiller decided to make yesterday an optional practice.

The majority of the group did take the ice yesterday but it was not a mandatory skate. Certain players chose not to skate because that’s what they needed. Others got on the ice, as they needed.

Hiller pointed to the last time the team came back from a long trip, which was the Pittsburgh game at home. As you recall, one of the team’s worst games this season. Hiller structured the skates this time around to prioritize rest yesterday and a full-team skate today.

“On the day off, we flew home, we got in late, so we got that and then we gave most of the guys the day yesterday, pretty easy, just some light work, we didn’t go on the ice with a lot of players and then good practice today,” Hiller said. “We’re hoping that we have much better legs and energy than we did versus Pittsburgh.”

Overall, the Kings had 22 players on the ice – 12 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders.

On defenseman Mikey Anderson, he skated again on his own before practice in a red, non-contact jersey. No formal update on Anderson’s status, he’s still considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury, but Hiller did share that Anderson’s injury is not one that will require a procedure.

“It’s just going to have to heal through treatments, relatively natural, which is positive.”

So, I would call that positive. But also, not sure that makes him a likely participant tomorrow. Still, as noted yesterday, Anderson shouldn’t require any ramp-up time when he is ready. His conditioning will be there, it’s just a matter of getting his injury to a good place. More on him tomorrow.

Same alignment today as we saw in Carolina.

15/11/9
12/24/37
22/55/14
10/61/26

84/8
6/92
43/21
5/7

35/31

For today, hear from Drew Doughty on a potential spot on Team Canada at the 4 Nations Faceoff and Anze Kopitar on the NBA trade that brought Luka Doncic, his countrymate, to Los Angeles.

No Dought He’s In The Mix
Drew Doughty is clearly in the mix to replace defenseman Alex Pietrangelo.

In speaking with the media today, Doughty said he’s spoken with Hockey Canada team management for the event, specifically former Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf, his teammate at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. Doughty said Getzlaf reached out to see where he was at, asking if he felt he’d be ready for that level of competition on the international stage, while letting him know he’s in the group of players being evaluated for a spot on the team.

Those conversations go back a bit and now there is, in fact, a spot available. Doughty understands he’s being evaluated additionally over these next three games to see if he’s the right fit for the open spot.

“I know I’m in the group of guys they’re looking at and I told them I want to be there,” Doughty said. “I’m hoping I’m going to keep improving, we’ve got a couple more games, hopefully to watch me and see that I deserve that spot.”

Hopefully, 4 Nations participation could be a win/win.

For Doughty, he takes a ton of pride in playing for his country. That’s the easy one. He’s also a player coming back off a long injury and needs to play games. He’ll likely get six in before the 4 Nations break and then it’s a two-week break for every Kings player not named Adrian Kempe. Doughty would love to be in that mix as well, not just for the pride of playing once again for Team Canada but also for continuing to refine his game for the stretch run. No better way to find game shape than by playing games.

“This is a good thing for me if I make this team. Obviously just the general aspect of it, but for my injury, getting to play more games and then I’ll be up to speed with the guys once they get back. So, I would love to be there.”

Naturally, the event should carry an even higher level of competition than the NHL. It is after all the best of the best. I think without injury, Doughty would have likely made the initial cut, assuming his season started at his typically high level.

He understands he needs to raise his game even higher than it’s been over his first three this season.

“I’ll be flying, that level of play is obviously going to be a little higher than it is in NHL, just with superstar players on every team, multiple superstars. I’m going to have to raise my level if I am there at 4 Nations and if I do go play in that, I’ll come back with that same level.”

More on Doughty in tomorrow’s preview, as the veteran defenseman took an honest evaluation of his own play, the ups and the downs. Will cover that tomorrow in advance of his home debut this season.

S(L)oveni(A)
“Oh he got traded? Where to?”

Anze Kopitar was full of jokes this morning, as the media asked him about his Slovenian compatriot, Luka Doncic, joining him in Los Angeles. Like the rest of us, Kopitar found out via social media. He was midway through a cross-country flight from Carolina to California, finding out via WiFi that was thankfully working that night.

“I was on the plane coming home from Carolina and I saw it on X,” Kopitar said this morning. “Obviously his world is quite a bit upside down right now. I reached out, we’ve talked a little bit but he’s got a lot of stuff on the go, so we’re going to let the dust settle, him getting acclimated and all of that stuff and connect after.”

Kopitar and Doncic are arguably the two most famous Slovenian athletes in the world. All due respect to Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak and Tour De France champion Tadej Pogacar, that is. The question was filled with respect, as Kopitar chuckled at being placed slightly ahead of Doncic.

He knows, though, how big Doncic is back in Slovenia and how much attention the trade garnered on the home front.

“He’s been a superstar around the world, not just in Slovenia,” Kopitar said. “For our country being so small, obviously everybody knows him and it was a big deal from what I’ve heard back home. It’s nice to have him here and the Lakers have had success with their Slovenians in the lineup, so it’ll be fun to see him in purple and gold.”

Kopitar said the media coverage back home is definitely greater for Doncic than it is for him, with basketball being a “bigger and broader” sport there than hockey is.

After all, Kopitar is 1-of-1 when it comes to hockey in Slovenia. As he noted above, Slovenian player Sasha Vujačić was with the Lakers during their NBA championships in 2009 and 2010, so maybe there’s something to this winning thing in Los Angeles for that country.

He added that his son Jakob and daughter Neza are both huge Doncic fans and both of his children like going to the games, so he’s sure he’ll be at Crypto.com Arena more than the scheduled 41 times while both players are here in Los Angeles. He said he’s here to help with some advice on where to live, if Doncic needs it, but said he’s old enough to pick where he wants to be. But he’s there for a fellow countryman if needed.

All in all, lots of chatter in the Kings room today. Will have more tomorrow in the game preview, as the Kings return to game action against Calgary. Also spoke with goaltender Darcy Kuemper on how a goaltender approaches a scoring slump, with Doughty and Kopitar also weighing in on wider team concepts. More to come tomorrow!