How the LA Kings Are Managing an Early Injury Crisis

Despite having a team full of veterans and experience, age and attrition are starting to kick in for the Los Angeles Kings at the start of the season.

With veteran players like Corey Perry, Kyle Burroughs, Darcy Kuemper, and now Anze Kopitar sidelined for weeks, and an inconsistent start to the season, the team’s depth is being tested.

It’s very unlikely that Los Angeles will win the Pacific Division or even finish in the top 3. The teams ahead of them are clearly better, and they have to deal with injuries that might derail a playoff berth.

The Injury Toll

Perhaps the biggest absence on the team is Corey Perry, the veteran forward who still hasn’t set foot on the ice for the Kings after undergoing knee surgery in training camp. Not only does that remove scoring depth, but the Kings are clearly lacking someone who can be stable on defense right now.

On defense, Kyle Burroughs has been placed on IR with an upper-body injury, with no timetable set for his return. And now the 38-year-old Anze Kopitar joins that list with a foot injury that will keep him out for several weeks.

But the injury to Kopitar could be a blessing in disguise, with the young players getting opportunities to step up and show what they’re made of.

Alex Laferriere will likely get the start in Kopitar’s spot, as he took some shifts at center last night and practiced with Kempe and Kuzmenko today.

Los Angeles has plenty of depth, but they’ve been very inconsistent to start the season on offense and defense. Going down early in games and having to come back late all the time just to lose in a shootout in overtime won’t save their season going forward.

A lot of that has to do with head coach Jim Hiller, who needs to make more adjustments and fix the lineups he has on the ice, as they clearly don’t always fit together.

The Evidence Shows

On October 11, the Kings fell 3-2 to the Winnipeg Jets despite scoring two goals in the second period to even it up Los Angeles still couldn’t get any stops in the end. In their most recent loss on Monday against Minnesota, they rallied from a 3-0 deficit to force overtime, only to lose in a shootout.

Los Angeles can blame many of these losses on injuries, but they still had several players in those games, and often underperformed because they looked unprepared to start.

Injuries obviously play a big part in the game, and that can be one thing pointed out for the Kings’ season, but for most of the season, they’ve been healthy.

So, look to younger players to step up and fill the void.

Can They Weather It?

The next four to six weeks should really give us an idea of whether the Kings will make the postseason or miss it entirely. If the guys on the injury report return swiftly, the Kings might still be able to get through this stretch. But in a very competitive division with the Oilers, Golden Knights, Kraken, and Canucks, no team can afford to lose now.

The Kings have plenty of talent capable of playing big minutes on the ice, but right now their success doesn’t depend on their stars, but on the next man up to fill those holes.

How the LA Kings Are Managing an Early Injury Crisis

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