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Kopitar’s knee injury should only sideline him 2-3 weeks

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The Los Angeles Kings received a serious scare on Saturday as Anze Kopitar suffered a knee injury overseas, but it looks like fans can breathe a sigh of relief since it doesn’t appear to be very serious.

GM Dean Lombardi says the issue is only of the two to three week variety, according to Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times.

With that in mind, Kopitar will probably be in street clothes when the Kings reportedly open their season (and raise that first-ever Stanley Cup banner) against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 19.

Perhaps he could be back if a) that two-week window pertained to the date of that Jan. 5 injury itself instead of today or b) he recovers ahead of schedule, but the Kings would likely be wise to take caution with the Slovenian star.

The talented playmaker had arguably the best year of his career last season, putting up 76 points in the regular season before going a point-per-game in 20 playoff contests. To little surprise, he also dominated in Sweden’s second league with 34 points in 30 games during the lockout.

In other words, the reigning Slovenian sportsman of the year should be worth the wait.