If you’re not a Los Angeles Kings fan, you’re probably not too familiar with left wing Scott Parse. Parse headed into this season poised to be a breakout candidate and with the Kings being a bit lacking a left wing, the opportunity was there for Parse to seize the day and become a force at forward in L.A.
Instead, Parse was felled by a hip injury that knocked him out of play for the first month of the year and he hasn’t played since November 15. Now he’s ready to play once again and has been activated from injured reserve declaring himself ready to go for Game 5 against San Jose that sees the Kings trailing 3-1 in the series.
If Parse wants to seize the day and make a big impression, doing so now would be the best way to do it. As Rich Hammond of L.A. Kings Insider shares, coach Terry Murray realizes there’s a huge risk playing a guy for the first time in five months in the middle of a playoff series.
The Kings definitely need a change after hanging tough while still slumping against the Sharks. On the upside for L.A., the last time Parse played was against San Jose and he had a goal. The Kings would love to see him replicate that production and being on a line with Michal Handzus and Justin Williams will give him that opportunity.
It’s a desperate call but for a team that needs something to go right for them, it can’t hurt. The only question then comes for who would come out of the lineup in favor of Parse. Youngster Oscar Moller and tough guy Kevin Westgarth would be the leading candidates.