A tough start to the season got tougher in L.A. on Monday, as the club announced power forward Dwight King would miss the next 8-10 weeks following surgery for a broken bone in his foot.
The injury occurred during the preseason. King had yet to appear in a game for Los Angeles this season, having opened the year on injured reserve.
Prior to getting hurt, King, 26, had been a pretty consistent and durable performer over the last two seasons, missing just six games while scoring a combined 28 goals.
He was also a key producer in the club’s ’14 Stanley Cup championship, with 11 points in 26 games.
At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, King is one of L.A.'s biggest skaters up front, so his absence will obviously hurt from a size perspective.
Losing King for an extended period of time is also another down note in what’s already been a disappointing start.
The Kings lost their first two games of the year -- at Staples, to Pacific Division rivals San Jose and Arizona -- by a combined 9-2 scoreline.