Much has been made about how damaging the lockout might be for the Los Angeles Kings in a market brimming with distractions, but many ignore the impact of extra healing time. Jonathan Quick’s recovery from back surgery might just be the leading example.
ESPN’s Craig Custance reports that Quick is heading to Los Angeles on Thursday to see if he can receive medical clearance on that repaired back.
The Conn Smythe-winning goalie underwent the procedure to fix an inflammatory cyst and disc fragment in August, with the Kings initially expecting him to be good to go by standard training camp time.
(Well, unless team exec Ron Hextall was just making a really accurate prediction about the lockout.)
Losing Quick for any amount of time won’t be ideal for the Kings, but at least he can be spelled by much-touted backup Jonathan Bernier.
His numbers have lagged behind Quick’s stats despite first-round hype, yet contract year pressure could very well push Bernier to excel if the Kings’ workhorse No. 1 begins the season on the IR.
(H/T to Rotoworld)