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Sutter: Doughty still has a long way to go to reach his potential

2014 NHL Stanley Cup Final - Game One

Drew Doughty

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At the age of 24, Drew Doughty can be trusted with more than 25 minutes per game in the regular season and over 27 minutes in the playoffs. He’s established himself as a cornerstone of one of the most successful franchises in recent history and is a Conn Smythe Trophy candidate.

Kings coach Darryl Sutter doesn’t think Doughty has even come close to reaching his peak though.

“When you do all the analytics on athletes, he’s a long ways from being as good as he’s going to be, just because of his age,” Sutter said, per LA Kings Insider.

What does Sutter see Doughty improving on in the future? Basically every aspect of the game.

“You learn to manage your ice time better,” he said, “you learn to manage what’s going on on the ice, you become a better shot selection guy, you become a better penalty killer, you become a better power play guy, you learn the league better, you learn players on the other team better, you learn nuances of star players, you learn to handle the schedule better in terms of your practice habits and your nutrition and what you do on game days, all that stuff.

“What can you do better? As I said, there’s a big difference between being 25 and 35.”

Doughty is fighting for his second Stanley Cup championship to go along with his two Olympic gold medals. His accomplishments don’t include winning the Norris Trophy yet, but that might change in the coming years.

Related:

Winning a double-edged sword for Doughty, who ‘for sure’ misses his anonymity
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