2010-11 Season Review: Davis Drewiske

Davis Drewiske 

2010-11 Stats: 38 GP, 0 G, 5 A, 5 PTS, -1, 0 PPP, 18 PIM 

Signed through 2012-13; $616,667

Davis Drewiske's 2011 season went much the same way his 2010 season did.  Drewiske appeared in 36 of the first 38 games last season  then suffered an upper-body injury in January and failed to claim his spot in the top-6 back; only appearing in two games for the rest of the season.  In 2011, Drewiske played in 33 of the first 37 games of the season but only appeared in 5 games for the rest of the season and was a healthy scratch for the last two months.  He had an opportunity to fill-in for Willie Mitchell but was passed on the depth chart by the emerging Alec Martinez.  

Drewiske's role on the blueline is a bit undefined and in a sense he is the perfect 'extra' d-man to have on a roster.  The Kings have three defined puck-moving defenseman: Doughty, Johnson, and Martinez.  Those puck-movers are each paired with a stay-at-home presence: Mitchell, Scuderi, and Greene.  Drewiske's game has always been low-risk and making the safe play.  DD possesses good size at 6'2 and TM would love to see him get more physical but that part of his game hasn't developed.  TM was so desperate to get DD into the lineup that he tried him as a 4th line right wing in December but that didn't work out for anyone involved.

FINAL GRADE: B-; My expectations for Drewiske were as the Kings 6th/7th defenseman.  In that sense, he's done fine.  He's been passed on the depth chart by Martinez but in a sense it comes down to what each defenseman brings to the backend.  TM and DL love the traditional 3 puck-movers and 3 stay-at-home defensemen on the blueline.  Unfortunately, Drewiske's offensive game is limited and he'll always be buried behind Mitchell, Scuderi, and Greene as a defensive-defenseman.  He'll return next year in a similar role as the team's extra d-man but will probably be facing stiff competition from Jake Muzzin, Viatcheslav Voynov, and Thomas Hickey (hopefully).