The Los Angeles Kings got a welcome sign on Kevin Fiala this morning.
Zach Dooley, the team’s Editorial Content Manager, reported that Fiala was on the ice and has been skating over the past few days. That lines up with the original recovery plan the Kings laid out before training camp, and for now, the winger appears to be tracking as expected.
Fiala’s road back has been a long one. In February, he suffered multiple fractures in his left leg while playing for Team Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He had surgery right away, which ended his 2025-26 season before it ever really got going.
The 35-goal scorer did make it back onto the ice before training camp, but he didn’t feel right and was uncomfortable. That led to another follow-up surgery and pushed back his return to NHL games. If nothing changes, he’s still expected to be back in the Kings’ lineup on November 1st.
Elsewhere in the Western Conference, the Chicago Blackhawks are dealing with a short-term absence of their own. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Andrew Mangiapane will be out for the next few weeks after picking up a lower-body injury in Chicago’s season opener against the Vegas Golden Knights. Mangiapane logged 5:23 before leaving the game.
The Blackhawks are thin up front because of it. With Mangiapane sidelined, Chicago has only 12 healthy forwards, which likely means an injured reserve placement and a call-up to add more depth.
In Minnesota, Danila Yurov is a question mark for the Wild’s next game against the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow night. Joe Smith of The Athletic said Yurov was pulled from practice this morning as a precaution after being “banged up” in Saturday’s win over the Boston Bruins. Yurov has one assist in two games to open the 2026-27 season.
In Other News...
Kings Fans Should Notice What Still Looks Wrong With The Sharks
San Joses season opened with a little bit of momentum and a little bit of familiarity, the kind that can make an early record look better than the process underneath it. The Sharks won their first two games in overtime, a 2-0-0 start they had not managed since 2021-22, but the scoreboard has not fully hidden the same concern that hung over much of last season: when games tighten late, their structure can fray.
For Kings fans keeping an eye on a division rival, that is the part worth watching. Coach Ryan Warsofsky has already pointed to the need for cleaner defensive play and a more reliable way of protecting leads, because skill alone has not been enough to carry them through to the finish. The early points are in the bank, but the way San Jose has been getting there still leaves a familiar question unresolved. [Read more 🡒]