The Kings’ return to practice in El Segundo brought a mixed bag of updates, with one defenseman leaving early, one top scorer trending back toward a return, and a few other injured players still somewhere in the middle.
Brandt Clarke was the biggest concern of the day. He exited practice midway through and did not come back, though Peter Laviolette did not have an immediate update afterward.
The exact moment of the issue wasn’t clear from the ice level, and Clarke left with team trainers before the session ended. His status will be worth watching heading into tomorrow’s practice, especially after the Kings felt his absence in the game against Ottawa, when he was removed for the night on an illegal check by Ottawa forward Hayden Hodgson, a hit that led to a two-game suspension.
Without Clarke, the Kings had trouble exiting their zone with possession, which is one of his strengths. If the club needs another defenseman, the AHL names to keep in mind are Scott Perunovich, Kirill Kirsanov and Angus Booth, though that is not where things stand yet.
There was better news on Adrian Kempe. He rejoined the group after missing Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Buffalo, when Laviolette had labeled him “day-to-day” and Martin Chromiak filled in for him. Kempe said he’s feeling much better and expects to play Wednesday against San Jose.
“I’m feeling better,” Kempe said today. “Yesterday was a lot better than the day before.
Today, I waited until this morning to see how I felt before I came in but good enough to where I felt like I could get out there and skate today. Hopefully get a couple practices in before the game.
A lot better in general.”
That’s a meaningful development for the Kings, who want their most dangerous goalscorer in the lineup. His presence at practice and his own read on how he feels point toward him being available against the Sharks.
Kevin Fiala also remains a positive storyline. He continued practicing in full-contact fashion, and his usage keeps suggesting he’s getting closer to being fully folded back in.
He appeared on the top forward line on Friday in Kempe’s spot, skating without jersey restriction, and also took Kempe’s place on the power play. Today, he moved around the lineup more, spending time in the Top-12 and also skating with Zuccarello on what looked like an extra line.
Fiala is still listed week-to-week, and there’s no reason to rush the timeline, but he’s clearly moving in the right direction.
Zuccarello’s case is a little different. He is on injured reserve and also week-to-week, but he has now practiced twice with the full group, including today.
He rotated in as a power-play option while the Kings worked heavily on the penalty kill. Even so, the sense is that the team wants to be careful and give him the time he needs to get fully right.
He missed 23 games last season with Minnesota, and the shorter absences didn’t go the way they needed to coming off his training camp injury. He doesn’t appear especially close, but his presence with the full team has still been a bit unexpected.
Alex Turcotte is still the one waiting on the outside. He skated again this morning on his own, but he has not yet rejoined the full group.
He remains on injured reserve and cannot play until he’s activated. Laviolette said he is still week-to-week and hasn’t come back into team drills.
“He’s moving, I heard he had a really good morning out there,” Laviolette said of Turcotte. “The reports are coming from what happens on the ice, from the morning skates, and all that information is coming back. The only thing that I know right now is that he is still week-to-week and has not joined us.”
Turcotte has been on injured reserve since October 10, so the absence is approaching a month. He has been working hard in those solo skates, but he has yet to get back with the main group the way Fiala and Zuccarello have.
The Kings will practice again tomorrow before hosting San Jose on Wednesday. They already lost 5-4 in overtime to the Sharks earlier this season after outplaying them, and this divisional matchup now gives them a chance to try to get things moving in the right direction.
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