It's hard enough to lose a defensive partner long-term, but when that player is future Hall of Famer Drew Doughty, it could spell disaster for the other half of the pairing.
What's expected? A potential vacuum and eventual cratering? For Mikey Anderson, he has flipped the script: he not only continues to hum along but has managed to elevate his game.
Anderson has seen a lot of Doughty in his career, as Doughty has been his go-to partner since his introduction into the league. They have become one of the more consistent shutdown defensive pairings in the league throughout Anderson's relatively young career.
Shutdown minutes are tricky for a young player in the league, and being saddled on a pair with Doughty means a nightly battle with the opposing team's top players.
And yet, the 2017 fourth-round pick has been thriving in those situations. Anderson has a career +60 in 293 games. He is an excellent puck mover without being categorized as such. He's exceeded all expectations while navigating the early portion of his career. Making an NHL starting lineup is a major accomplishment, but being trusted with top pairing minutes next to a superstar is a different story.
Playing next to someone Anderson idolized has not wavered his overall performance despite some of his words back in 2023:
-"I was a little starstruck. He's a guy I grew up watching on TV, playing with in video games. And then you come in here and you've got to play with him, it's a little intimidating."
Things can change fairly quickly in the NHL. As an adaptable player, Andersons been without the aforementioned Doughty for the second time in his career, both times for 20+ games. He has now formed an elite pairing with Vladislav Gavrikov.
In pairings that have played over 200 minutes together via Moneypuck.com, Anderson and Gavrikov rank 11th in Corsi (55.5%) and seventh in Fenwick (57.4%), while maintaining the third lowest xGoals Against per 60 (1.59) and the fifth lowest xShots on Goal per 60 (47.3).
They haven't been just good; they've been elite defensively, with excellent possession and suppression metrics. The numbers reflect that Anderson doesn't need someone to carry him in a defensive pair.
For Gavrikov, Anderson helps him rekindle the impact of another formidable pairing. The Matt Roy-Gavrikov combination was the best defensive pair for the Kings for a season and a half. Roy departed in free agency, leaving a void on the right side.
Anderson and Gavrikov have unified on the same pair to provide the much-needed stability for the Kings on the backend. Both have harmonized as the go-to shutdown pairing that previously required Doughty’s presence to keep LA’s place among the top defensive teams in the league.
For Anderson, he’s proving to be a steal in both his draft positioning and his contract value. His $4.125 AAV is starting to look like one of the best deals in the league. Where would the Kings be with Doughty down and Anderson not acting as a safety net?
A sobering thought.