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Around the NHL: Drew Doughty out months, Bryan Little retiring a Jet, Rasmus Dahlin named Sabres’ captain
Drew Doughty of the LA Kings and Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Shane Seney
Sep 30, 2024, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 30, 2024, 08:36 EDT
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The preseason is winding down and the 2024-25 regular season is just mere days away. The Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils kick things off in Czechia with the Global Series on Friday.
Training camp rosters have been cut down, coaching staffs are starting to get a feel for their lineups, and GMs around the league continue to navigate the salary cap. With just a couple of preseason games left, look for teams to try and get some line combinations together to build some chemistry heading into the new season.
Here’s the very latest around the NHL:

Kings’ Doughty to miss significant time

It was an unfortunate scene for the Los Angeles Kings when defenceman Drew Doughty got tangled up along the boards against the Vegas Golden Knights. The veteran blueliner suffered a fractured ankle on the play and has been listed out month-to-month.
Doughty, 34, is coming off a 50-point season and is a huge part of the Kings, on both sides of the puck. He led the Kings in ice time last season, averaging 25:47 per game, which was close to five minutes more than any other King. It’s a huge loss for LA, and they are in tough to start the season with their first seven games coming on the road.
With Doughty unavailable, look for youngster Brandt Clarke to get a serious look among the Kings’ regulars. Clarke, 21, was the eighth-overall selection at the 2021 NHL draft and recorded six points in 16 games last season for the Kings. Some silver lining in the matter, Doughty is expected to be available for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.

Bryan Little retires a Winnipeg Jet

Longtime Winnipeg Jets forward Bryan Little will be signing a one-day contract to officially retire as a member of the organization. Little hasn’t played a game since 2019 after he was struck in the ear with a slapshot, which perforated his eardrum and resulted in vertigo. The veteran forward was under contract with the Arizona Coyotes through last season.
The Jets will honour Little with a pregame ceremony before their Oct.20 matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Little, 36, was originally a 2006 first-round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers. He played in 843 career NHL games, scored 217 goals and collected 521 points.
Jets’ GM Kevin Cheveldayoff recently opened up on what Little meant to the franchise. “Bryan Little is a crucial part of the history of this franchise and was a key contributor to the Winnipeg Jets throughout his time in the NHL,” general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said.
“He was a humble, hardworking player that cared about his teammates and was a quiet but important leader in the dressing room. Bryan demonstrated tremendous professionalism throughout his time here and it is a true shame that his career was cut short due to injury.”

Buffalo Sabres name Rasmus Dahlin captain

The Sabres announced Rasmus Dahlin is their new leader as star defenseman will wear the ‘C’. Dahlin takes over for Kyle Okposo, who was dealt to the Florida Panthers last season.
Dahlin is the first Swedish captain in Sabres history and at just 24 years old, is one of the younger captains in the league. He’s become a massive part of the Sabres’ offence and continues to make strides on the defensive side of the puck.
Buffalo loves the way Dahlin prepares for games and feel the fact he cares so much about winning hockey games should resonate with everyone in the Sabres’ dressing room. Dahlin will be joined by Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, Tage Thompson, and Mattias Samuelsson, who will rotate as Buffalo’s alternate captains.

Preseason Quick Hits

  • It was a tough scene in Montreal Saturday night with Patrik Laine going down with a knee injury after colliding with Leafs’ forward Cedric Pare. No confirmation yet on how severe the knee injury is, however, it didn’t look good and there’s a chance Laine could miss significant time.
  • Some more injury troubles in Anaheim as Ducks goaltender John Gibson will miss three to six weeks after undergoing an emergency appendectomy. Lukas Dostal is expected to carry the workload in goal with Gibson on the shelf to start the season.
  • This will be Marc-Andre Fleury’s last season in the NHL, but he’s not interested in any special treatment from other teams. The 39-year-old doesn’t want to become a distraction and has asked that no red carpets be taken out while on the road. In Pittsburgh, Vegas or Montreal, it will be a different story, however, Wild GM Bill Guerin made it very clear he’s on the same page as his goaltender. “Look, we’re going to be business as usual. This is not a farewell tour,” Guerin said. “That’s not what he wants. That’s not what we want. We don’t want any distractions like that. We’re just going to go and do our business.”
  • Winnipeg Jets defenceman Logan Stanley is expected to miss at least a month due to requiring knee surgery. The 6-foot-7 blueliner was finally going to start the season in Winnipeg’s top three pairings and now will have to work his way back into the lineup once healthy.
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