Analyzing just one game is insufficient to determine how a team operates with two players both incredibly important for the Kings' near and long-term future. Drew Doughty and Brandt Clarke have only been in the lineup together for one game this season. That's too small a sample size to conclude if the team's strategy is effective despite their timely and much-needed victory against a formidable opponent. But for the sake of hypothesis and attempting to foresee the plan laid out for the Kings, we'll give it a shot.

For Clarke, this season, has had a boon of an opportunity without Doughty in the lineup. This indirect approach due to injury was much needed for a misaligned asset management franchise that has had its fair share of pitfalls in developing or managing its young talent. In Clarke, the Kings have a player with the moxie to step into some pretty big shoes, reminiscent ala Sean Durzi.

How many under-22-year-old defensemen can come into a franchise and hold down the fort as the number one for almost 50 games? In all fairness, things started off fine and dandy for Clarke, as his play was better than expected. His performance however, had notably declined since the beginning of the season. He was among the top defensemen in the league, producing a point per game in his first eleven games (1 goal and 10 assists).

However, after some comments from Head Coach Jim Hiller, Clarke's status and effectiveness have diminished; I'm optimistic Hiller didn't necessarily 'push' the wrong buttons or at least mean to bring a burgeoning player back down to Earth. Still, the league is unforgiving and will adapt to a player who excels in the offensive zone but has his own defensive deficiencies. He may only slightly outpace Jacob Moverare and Andreas Englund in foot speed—the most glaring critique of his game.

But let's take a look at his most recent performance in a game where both he and Doughty dressed.

Clarke's performance against Carolina yielded impressive analytics via NST, showcasing a Corsi of 61.76% and a Fenwick of 64.29%. While Clarke was on the ice, the Kings outshot the Hurricanes 11-3 at even strength, outchancing the Canes 8-4 and achieving a 4-0 lead in high-danger chances. The Kings only had one power play during that game, and Clarke was not on the ice.

Previously, Clarke was a pivot on the Kings' first powerplay unit for most of the first half of the season. Even before Doughty's return, however, Clarke was replaced by Jordan Spence—who has excellent suppression statistics but limited offensive capabilities. Thus, a player with Clarke's offensive skills was swapped out for a less productive offensive player, leaving the struggling power play in an even more puzzling state of affairs. Since Doughty's return, the unit has gone 0 for 4.

While Doughty's presence may help the first unit in the long run, it comes at a cost to Clarke, who now finds himself devoid of powerplay ice time while shelved as an option to an even worse performing second unit.

The organization has made it clear that Clarke and Quinton Byfield, regarded as their future cornerstones, remain secondary to veteran players like Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. The Kings aim to compete for another championship while relying heavily on players in their late 30s, with Kopitar nearing 40.

To drive this home: Byfield benefitted from the situation involving Pierre-Luc Dubois. Had Dubois performed as management expected, he almost certainly doesn't get traded, and Byfield might not be playing center full-time this season. 'If" it went according to plan with Dubois, is Byfield as a 4C or a winger again on the same track development-wise, instead of the leaps and bounds he's taken this year?

Instead, the 'Dubois Plan' melted in front of their eyes, which became a hefty mistake, forcing the Kings' hand to have Byfield step into a higher role, which he likely wouldn't have taken for a season or two at least.

Clarke's in a very similar boat, but with an unexpected move in the form of an injury. Opportunities (small sample size to show) have dwindled since Doughty came off injured reserve. Instead of accumulating valuable minutes for a rookie or sophomore playing in the NHL, his role is almost certain to diminish, struggling to reach 14 minutes per game, likely joining a lackluster second power play unit (if he replaces Spence) and focusing solely on even-strength production.

From a developmental standpoint, this situation does not bode well for a future cornerstone defenseman who will make mistakes here and there. Those mistakes are much more amplified when you have 10 shifts compared to 20.

If management genuinely believes this team can compete for a championship, their approach seems misguided. The Kings continue to rely on their aging championship veterans while not fully handing over responsibilities to their future stars. The situation becomes even more compounded for Clarke with Mikey Anderson's impending return from injury.

Will Clarke remain in the lineup with the team finally giving Moverare leeway? With such limited playing time, does he become more of a liability than an asset if he isn't getting enough minutes to develop his game?

Instead of being nurtured to maximize his potential, Clarke is left with inadequate opportunities. At the same time, the organization focuses on aging players—underscoring the risk of pursuing a misguided strategy at the expense of their promising future.

Can Clarke realistically get the opportunity to get reasonable exposure for a player the franchise has pegged as the future number one, while Doughty is in the lineup? I'm uneasy thinking that Clarke will have to wait 2-3 seasons at a minimum to overtake Doughty. Doughty will likely be here the rest of his career, with the organization inherently believing that they are choice contenders with their old-grizzled rearguard absorbing 26+ minutes a night.

THNLAKWeeklyFeb2ndKeithFries

Kings' Development Pathway With Clarke a Cause for Concern