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Happy Thursday, Insiders!
Is there a better LA King to review on the Fourth of July than Mikey Anderson? Former World Junior Team USA captain Mikey Anderson, that is. When Anderson was in action, he was exactly what we’ve come to expect from him in terms of defensive prowess and backend reliability. He took steps forward this season in what was his first entry into a full 82-game NHL schedule and continued to develop as a reliable option alongside Drew Doughty on the team’s top defensive pairing.
Mikey Anderson
NHL Statline – 57 games played, 2 goals, 6 assists, +6 rating, 8 penalty minutes
NHL Playoff Statline – 7 games played, 0 goals, 1 assist, -5 rating, 4 penalty minutes
Possession Metrics (vs. Kings) – CF% – 54.1% (+0.4%), SCF – 55.1% (+2.5%), HDCF – 53.3% (+0.8%)
While Matt Roy beat him to the nickname Steady Eddie, Anderson brings consistency and stability to the backend kings despite a slightly different skill set than Roy. What they do share, however, is defensive acumen. Anderson has proven to be an exceptional defensive defenseman, someone who excels without the puck and excels in his end of the rink. He complemented Drew Doughty extremely well on a pair, not only sticking with first-line minutes, but also allowing Doughty to play his own game effectively. Anderson also possesses strong leadership traits and the mental bounce to quickly overcome mistakes or bad plays.
“His impact on the game is more about (playing) without the puck,” Kings assistant coach Trent Yawney told Lisa Dillman. “His positioning. Its game around our network. His penalty kill and his ability to play against top forwards. Combine that with his leadership, which he’s more comfortable with, and you can see why he carries letters with other teams he’s been on.”
Up – There are two sides to Mikey Anderson’s game this season, both good, and both important. There’s Anderson, Drew Doughty’s partner and half of the team’s best defensive pairing when everyone was healthy. There’s also Anderson, a defenseman on his own, and someone who stepped up when called upon without Doughty, proving he can handle it without his regular partner. Also important.
Looking at the Anderson-Doughty duo, they ranked in the NHL’s top 6 in CF%, SCF% and HDCF% as a pair. Among pairings with at least 500 minutes combined, Anderson and Doughty were second-best in the league in the first two categories, ranking sixth in the third. No pairing allowed fewer shot attempts per 60 minutes than Anderson and Doughty, with their goals-against chances third best in the league. Together, Anderson and Doughty controlled more than 56 percent of the field goals, seventh best in the league. Great performance from this pair.
On a personal level, Anderson has seen a huge improvement in terms of possession metrics as the team around him has improved. From last season to this season, Anderson saw his chances on the ice increase in shot attempts, scoring chances and big-danger chances, while his percentages improved by nine percent or more. The result was a total of 12 more goals per 5-on-5 ice this season, despite nearly identical ice time numbers from the 2020-21 campaign. His main partner in both seasons was Doughty, meaning that individually Anderson improved in several areas no matter who he was playing with.
Declining trend – If there’s a knock on Anderson, it’s probably unchanged from what he was after last season. The Minnesota native has collected just eight points this season in 57 games played while averaging nearly 18 minutes per game at 5-on-5 with high-level players around him. He did expand his individual shot creation metrics, but it didn’t lead to more offense for him personally. Everything that was written above regarding Anderson’s defensive game outweighs his lack of raw, offensive production, but moving forward, this is an area where you’d like to see some growth. If Anderson can elevate that area of his game, even just a little bit, it would add another element to the Kings’ backend game and when paired with his high-level defensive play, would make for a formidable defender.
Despite holding his own game with other partners, Anderson has certainly had better results playing with Doughty this season than without. When Doughty was injured, players like Anderson were forced into different roles, and without several veterans in certain games, results were sometimes difficult. His possession numbers fell across the board without Doughty, but the goals for/allowed stayed pretty much the same, meaning that while Anderson’s play suffered, it didn’t cost the team.
2022-23 Status – Anderson is a restricted free agent this summer after his three-year entry-level contract expired. During exit interviews, general manager Rob Blake called re-signing Anderson a priority this offseason, with the player highly valued internally as a local talent.
While he hasn’t posted eye-popping offensive numbers, Anderson has built a very solid on-ice relationship with Doughty, proving to be an effective opponent on the top defensive pairing. Anderson’s steady, reliable game meshed well with Doughty, who also prides himself on his defense. It also allowed Doughty to take more risks offensively, leading to a strong offensive season for the No. 8. It remains to be seen how the Kings will adjust their lefty blue line this offseason, but assuming he agrees to a new contract, Anderson has a place in the top four going forward.
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