Depending on how you look at it, the Los Angeles Kings have held it together admirably without their star defenseman this season in Drew Doughty. However, their 7-2 loss to San Jose on the eve of playing the best team in the NHL has started to form doubts surrounding the franchise. LA has been wildly inconsistent while having one of the most favorable overall schedules in the NHL (strength of schedule ranks 32nd). The first 20 plus games have been road-heavy, and the Kings have been lukewarm in the surprisingly competitive Pacific Division. They look like a team without a number one on the backend. When Doughty comes back into the fold, how does that affect the defensive corps? Doughty will undoubtedly slot back in next to Mikey Anderson. Last season, they were one of ten defensive pairings in the league to play 1000 minutes as a pair (via Moneypuck.com). In pairs that played 500+ minutes together, they carried a 54.7% Corsi (8th best), their shots against per 60 were 9th lowest (50.34), and their unblocked shots even better, good for 5th in the league (34.56). The reunion of Doughty and Anderson will boost the Kings' lineup but also break up the best defensive pair they’ve iced this season. Vladislav Gavrikov and Anderson have been a standout pair across the league. The pairing has the 6th best xGoals For % (63.3) and a 9th best xGoals Against per 60 (1.51). Gavrikov has had an excellent follow-up year to his first full season in Los Angeles, and Doughty's return may force him to face less elite competition. While Gavrikov won't have a defensively elite partner in Matt Roy or Anderson, he will have either Brandt Clarke or Jordan Spence. Clarke might be the most directly affected by Doughty's return, while Spence may see his role diminish. In retrospect, the challenges the Kings face today mirror those of 2021-22, when a different Doughty injury forced Sean Durzi to step into much larger shoes, much earlier than expected. Today, Clarke is in a similar situation and like Durzi, has excelled offensively while attempting to figure it out defensively. He's succeeded as the top powerplay option among defensemen (6 points 2g-4a) but became a fall guy for the second unit while the team has experimented with Quinton Byfield going on the top unit with the hope of sparking his offense. Doughty will inevitably come back to the first unit, placing Clarke in the second unit for good. Clarke will still produce due to his skill set, but his production rate will likely crater overall due to Doughty’s return. On the flip side, Spence started the season as the point man on the second unit. He was removed to make room for Clarke, who was sent down to make room for Byfield. With Doughty and Clarke healthy and in the lineup, Spence will likely not see any powerplay time. His production will have to come at even strength, which has been a struggle for him thus far. Spence will likely see a boost in his overall play, as Doughty's return and Gavrikov dropping down to anchor a second pair should insulate him, much like it did last season. Who gets the shot with Gavrikov? Both Clarke and Spence have spent relatively the same time with Gavrikov this season. Both are great young players, and while Clarke seems like the slam-dunk option, he has not fared better than Spence next to Gavrikov. In 24:58 together via Natural Stat Trick, Gavrikov and Spence have a 62.86 Corsi %, outshot opponents 13-5, are outscored 1-0, and are even (1-1) on high-danger chances for/against. Scoring chances for and against are slightly favorable, 6-5. Clarke and Gavrikov had 57.41 Corsi % in 22:49, outshot opponents 12-10, were outscored 1-0, high-danger chances for/against were 3-6, and scoring chances for/against 8-16. Another factor to consider is that Joel Edmundson will stay in the lineup, meaning Gavrikov sliding down forces either Andreas Englund or Jacob Moverare out. The two left shot defenders have been rotating in and out of the last LHD spot. Those two have been the most common partners for Spence of late. Spence is the clear-cut candidate for Gavrikov as his shot suppression and defensive metrics are better than Clarke's. Out of players who have played 100+ minutes this season on the roster, Spence is first in both On-Ice Expected Goals per 60 (1.82) and On-Ice Shot Attempts Against per 60 (46.51). He is second to Trevor Lewis in On-Ice High Danger Shot Attempts Against per 60 (1.31). Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEwOTgwNTk5MTAyNDQ5NjQx/usatsi_22945657.jpg] For a team known for deploying two shutdown defensive pairs, it makes more sense that the Kings will push Spence up the lineup over Clarke, while Clarke retains the power play. Not that Spence screams shutdown player but his numbers depict excellent suppression and are much better than Clarke's. The Kings also seem determined to make the Clarke-Edmundson pairing work. The Doughty effect would be in full swing, with players shuffling around on the backend, inserted into roles they are more adept at. The timing is still unclear, as an apprehensive time is upon the franchise. The team is starting to show foundational cracks in its build, and its go-to guy on the backend remains in a boot. 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