The NHL’s Pacific Division became a great deal richer in star power this past week and Los Angeles Kings defenceman Drew Doughty took notice.
It began early Monday morning when the Vegas Golden Knights traded for Max Pacioretty in a deal with the Montreal Canadiens then on Thursday afternoon the San Jose Sharks got involved in a big way by acquiring Erik Karlsson from the Ottawa Senators.
Doughty’s Kings have a budding rivalry with the Golden Knights after being swept by the upstart club in the opening round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it was the Sharks’ move that did a better job of piquing Doughty’s interest.
“Obviously the Karlsson one’s a little bit bigger,” Doughty said Friday via Curtis Zupke of the LA Times. “He’s one of the best players in the whole league. It’s a little bit different. Pacioretty brings a lot of speed on that wing. He can put the puck in the net. Pacioretty’s going to make them better, there’s no doubt about that. But the Karlsson trade’s obviously quite a bit bigger.”
The elite right-shot defencemen have been compared to one another frequently throughout their illustrious careers. Doughty is a two-time Cup and Olympic champ with one Norris Trophy to his name, while Karlsson is a two-time Norris winner who leads all blueliners in points since entering the NHL in 2009.
Playing in the same division in the same state will surely lead to more comparisons going forward.
“I’m looking forward to playing him [four] times a year,” Doughty added. “It’ll be so much fun and obviously it makes their team better, which we’re not too happy about, in that sense, but it will make it more competitive and our teams are going to have some battles this year.”
Good news for hockey fans is you won’t have to wait very long to see the Sharks and Kings face off in regular-season action. They meet Oct. 5 at the Staples Center in the Kings’ home opener.
Karlsson is entering the final year of his current contract, so it’s unclear if his time in the Pacific Division will be temporary or a lengthy stay. If the Swede decides to re-up long-term with his new team then he’ll be seeing plenty of Doughty in the years to come. Doughty is also entering the final year of his current deal before the eight-year extension he signed in July kicks in at the start of 2019-20.
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