By Reid Urban
The injuries keep continuing to pile up for the Los Angeles Kings and today, they lost another player to a long-term injury.
Forward Trevor Lewis broke his foot in morning skate on Friday and is out on a week-to-week basis. This news comes on the heels of the team recalling goalie Cole Kehler to replace Peter Budaj, who is battling an illness. Kehler will back up Petersen tonight and perhaps the next few games.
Losing Lewis is a big blow for the Kings. Despite his lackluster offensive numbers on the season, he is a big key forward for them. He averages around 14 minutes a night and he is regularly on the penalty kill. His stats this season were also in the positive, despite him only having three points in 17 games. He is still very reliable and in tough situations, interim head coach Willie Desjardins has put him out there.
In his absence, newcomer Carl Hagelin will most likely pick up the penalty kill minutes. However, it’s still unclear who might get the increased opportunity up front, as Hagelin may not be the immediate answer beyond the penalty kill.
Hopefully, Lewis can recover and get back onto this team before any more damage can be done. However, his injury and the recent trade of Tanner Pearson may either be bad news or it could allow younger and more excited rookies to get into the lineup and produce.
