With Dustin Brown out for the remainder of the season, LA Kings forward Alex Iafallo donned the “A” on his sweater for the first time.
Just after the morning skate on Friday, news broke that former LA Kings captain Dustin Brown would miss the remainder of the season with an upper-body injury.
“It’s been going on for a little while he’s a pretty tough character who’s played through a fair amount lately,” head coach Todd McLellan noted. “It doesn’t quite heal – it keeps reappearing and it’s just not good for him to keep going right now.”
While he longer wears the “C” on his sweater, Brown took back the “A” after the Kings traded Jeff Carter to Pittsburgh at the deadline.
With Brown out of the lineup, the question then became who was most deserving to be the team’s second alternate captain?
With Dustin Brown shutdown for the season, who should wear the “A”? #GoKingsGo
— Rink Royalty (@RinkRoyalty) May 7, 2021
As the Kings took the ice against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night, it was none other than Alex Iafallo who had an addition to his sweater.
“It’s definitely a huge honor,” Iafallo said of being named an alternate captain. “You know, I saw it when I got into the locker room, and had a big smile on my face.”
Iafallo went on to note that there have been several leaders within the Kings organization since he was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2017. However, with some roster turnover since then, the 27-year-old has stepped into a leadership role himself. Iafallo was inked to a brand new four-year contract extension on April 12, keeping him in Los Angeles through the 2024-2025 season.
With Brown having just one year remaining on his contract, combined with being potentially left exposed to Seattle’s expansion draft, Iafallo could find himself wearing the “A” for a lot longer than just the final five games this season.