Alec MartinezD | Knights

Alec Martinez might play alongside DoughtySeptember 21, 2019 | 01:25 AM

Alec Martinez might end up playing alongside Drew Doughty. "There's a chance that can happen," Kings coach Todd McLellan said of the potential Doughty-Martinez pairing. "Drew's going to play well over 20 minutes most nights and the guy lining up beside him, whoever that's going to end up being, is going to have to carry about as many and he's going to have to perform against the best players in the league, so we'll be looking for that combination. If we can find that pair that can successfully do that on most nights, the other four D can pinch hit against different lines and we should be fine. But we've got to find that pair first." Martinez has averaged over 21 minutes per game for each of the last four years. Putting them together does make the Kings' defense awfully top heavy, but as McLellan noted, the priority is on finding a good top pairing first and foremost.