Los Angeles Kings: Dwight King out for 8-10 weeks

We’ve got word that Los Angeles Kings LW, Dwight King, will be out 8-10 weeks with a broken bone in his foot. The injury happened in a pre-season game when King blocked a shot against the Colorado Avalanche. At first, it seemed it would just be a few weeks of recovery time. But now that he has had surgery, we know much more time will be needed to heal up.

How does this affect the forward line up?

It gives 2 guys a chance to become regulars – Jordan Weal and Andy Andreoff. Each of them has played in 1 game this season and played well. Yes, Weal had an ugly turnover which led to a goal against the Coyotes on Friday night. But outside of that, he played a strong game. He was 2 for 2 in the faceoff circle and did well on the forecheck. He created a few great chances by setting up Jordan Nolan and Jake Muzzin for some grade-A opportunities. In his NHL debut, I think he had a strong overall game and look forward to seeing him on the ice more often.

The biggest reason I want to see him out there is because of his speed. The Kings need it, bad. In their season opener against the Sharks, they were skated around all night long. They simply couldn’t keep up.

Andy Andreoff also had a strong performance in his one game this season against the Sharks. He stepped in to a scrum and wound up laying a beating on Barclay Woodrow. He played with energy and was 3 for 5 in the faceoff circle.

As the Kings look to fill Dwight King’s spot, it comes down to if they want grit or skill. Andreoff is the grit guy, Weal is the skill guy. Based on the offensive performance so far, I think the Kings should opt for the skill guy. Am I making it glaringly obvious that I’m a big Jordan Weal fan?

Next: Los Angeles Kings: Mike Richards Era is Over

More from Rink Royalty

Home/Kings News