John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Sean Durzi had over 200 people in attendance at Scotiabank Arena last week to watch the Los Angeles Kings take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It was a homecoming of epic proportions for the Mississauga, Ont. native, who had grown up a Leafs fan, attended his very first hockey game in the rink he was about to set foot in, and, in 2018, received a call from Leafs GM Kyle Dubas that he had been drafted by his hometown team.
Sure, there had been setbacks along the way. Durzi’s time as a Maple Leaf lasted all of half a season before the club dealt him to the Kings as part of the Jake Muzzin trade. But that didn’t matter. In fact, as he insists, it was for the best.
Durzi proceeded to find a home in Los Angeles upon arrival, earning his spot as an NHL regular, and now, on a chilly December Thursday, was ready to take on the team that stoked his love of hockey in the first place as practically all of his loved ones watched on.
The ending of this story is far less cinematic than the beginning, however.
The Maple Leafs trounced the Kings by a score of 5-0 later that night, taking it to their opponent right from the puck drop and dolling out blow after blow that LA simply could not recover from.
Adding insult to injury was the fact that Durzi found himself involved in an altercation with Pierre Engvall early in the third period, one that ultimately led to the Leafs forward getting thrown out of the game and suspended. It incensed the crowd, for the rest of the night, to boo Durzi every time he touched the puck.
Mercilessly, too.
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
This was a new experience for Durzi – a harsh one given it was coming from a fanbase to which he once pledged allegiance. But it’s a reality he will need to adjust to in the years to come as his stock rises.
In professional sports, stars face scrutiny. That is exactly what Durzi is on the verge of becoming in his sophomore season.
“It was his first year last year so he obviously had a lot to learn,” said Kings defenseman Drew Doughty. “He still does, as we all do.
“He’s a good player who competes hard and has a lot of confidence. And what you need to succeed in this league is confidence. He definitely doesn’t lack that.”
It’s not hard to see why Durzi would be a confident fella, either.
Thrown into the deep end as a rookie last year following Doughty’s season-ending injury, Durzi not only managed to float in his first taste of high-leverage minutes, he thrived.
In 64 games as a top-four defender facing premier NHL competition, Durzi racked up three goals and 24 assists for 27 points on the year. He also logged nearly 20 minutes of ice time per night and began nearly half of his shifts in the defensive zone.
The defensive lumps were apparent, as they are with all young blueliners, but the numbers evened out the rest of the way. With Durzi on the ice, the Kings both out-chanced and out-possessed their opponent in 2021-22, thanks to his dazzling 51.66 percent and 51.79 percent shares of scoring chances and expected goals, respectively.
The 2022-23 season has only seen Durzi continue to elevate himself. Despite Doughty’s return, LA’s coaching staff has clung to their trust in Durzi in high-leverage situations, handing him more ice time, tougher usage, and even throwing him out for the bulk of defensive zone starts at even strength while installing him as a fixture. on the second power-play unit.
The result? Better numbers across the board.
Durzi’s four goals through 29 games already eclipsed his entire total from last season, while his 19 points in that span put him well on track to obliterate his career-high.
The Kings, who carried a minus-12 goal differential into Thursday’s meeting with the Boston Bruins, actually managed to draw even on the scoresheet during Durzi’s even-strength minutes. And if that wasn’t enough, they also outshoot their opponents by a wide margin and control the expected goals battle to the tune of 51.17 percent.
Lessons still need to be learned, of course. But, for the most part, Durzi has answered the bell whenever the Kings have rung it. That is not going unnoticed.
“I don’t think he’s underrated anymore,” said Kings defender Sean Walker, who sits next to Durzi on road trips.
“I think he’s definitely starting to show people that he’s a really good NHL player,” Walker added. “He’s really good offensively, but his defensive game is also up there with everybody else. So, I don’t think he can skate by anymore and be called underrated because he’s proven it and continues to do it night in and night out.”
Given the circumstances that precluded Durzi’s arrival in Los Angeles, it would be easy to assume the 24-year-old’s rapid ascent up the young NHL defenders’ power rankings has been fueled by the Leaf-shaped chip on his shoulder – rooted in the desire to stick it to the hometown club that gave up on him before he even had a chance.
But Durzi swears revenge is not the case. He knows his worth. And his only focus now is to demonstrate it to the team that welcomed him with open arms.
“It’s tough for me because drafting me was a dream come true for me, obviously,” said Durzi of his brief time in the blue and white. “But the circumstances at the time made it a good move for both clubs. I’m just happy to show what I can do for this club and prove that these guys (the Kings) made the right choice.”
So far, so good.
“The biggest thing is that he knows he belongs here now, and we know that, too,” said Kings coach Todd McLellan of his young defenseman.
“Sometimes, all a player needs is permission to be here. To know they belong.”
It’s safe to say that, when it comes to Durzi, permission has been granted. And for a Kings team still working through the growing pains from their transition out of a rebuild and into contention, their star-in-the-making has proven himself as a pillar that the club can lean on.
“Everybody has something to learn,” said Walker as Kings players began to file out of the visitors’ dressing room to prepare for the night ahead.
“He just seems to pick them up quicker than most.”
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