The update was provided on Thursday night that the Los Angeles Kings and head coach Jim Hiller will be without young center Alex Turcotte for at least the next few games in the West this regular season on this road trip in the Eastern Conference late this week.
Center Alex Turcotte reportedly to miss at least the next three games due to an injury for the Los Angeles Kings
This news that Turcotte is out due to an upper-body injury for the Kings and Hiller late this week puts him on a timeline to potentially return as early as this upcoming week after the road trip remaining three games this weekend and early next week.
Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider reported earlier this week that Turcotte did not practice after he suffered an injury this past week vs. the St. Louis Blues on the road in this road trip in the West on Jan. 24. Both Turcotte and defenseman Joel Edmundson didn't practice for the Kings on Tuesday after suffering various injuries vs. the Blues on the road trip earlier in the week.
Turcotte and Edmundson are both dealing with upper-body injuries for the Kings this week on the road trip in the Eastern Conference going into back-to-back games this upcoming weekend before the Olympic break starting next week in early February.
Turcotte reportedly flew back to Los Angeles a little over 24 hours ago, earlier this week, after suffering the injury for the Kings a few days ago. It sounds like Turcotte is expected to miss the rest of the three games on this road trip in the East in the Metropolitan Division this upcoming week and this weekend on Saturday and Sunday for the Kings and Hiller.
This injury news for Turcotte has opened an opportunity at the third-line center position for Hiller and the Kings to get other young forward players to step up this week in the West for the team. The Kings have gotten more ice time at the center position late this week to young center Sammy Helenius and have moved over winger Joel Armia to take more faceoffs at the position this regular season.