The Los Angeles Kings will be faced with a pair of long-term injuries out of the gates this season. Depth defenseman Angus Booth is expected to miss “several months” with a lower-body injury per John Hoven and Mayors Manor. Hoven specified that Booth’s timeline will be similar to winger Corey Perry, who underwent knee surgery earlier in the month to address an injury sustained in a late-summer practice.
Perry’s injury will have the most direct effect on the Kings’ lineup. The 40-year-old, soon-to-be Hall-Of-Fame hopeful signed a one-year, $2MM contract with the Kings this summer. He seemed well set to fill an important veteran role in the team’s middle-six, after posting a productive 19 goals and 30 points in 81 games with the Edmonton Oilers last season. Perry also scored 14 points while playing in all 22 games of Edmonton’s run to a Stanley Cup Finals loss. Now, it seems his durability has run slim. It will be a long while before Perry breaks into the Kings’ lineup. When he does, there’s no telling how the aged winger will adjust after another significant lower-body injury.
Booth won’t leave an NHL role in his absence, though his injury will dampen his chances to jump into Los Angeles’ seventh-defender role. He played through his first pro season last year, netting 13 points and 38 penalty minutes in 50 games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign. It was a stout year where Booth’s defense-first style seemed to shine. He was a long-shot to break camp with the Kings this season, but could have rivaled players like Samuel Bolduc and Jacob Moverare for a depth role. Instead, he’ll have to wait until closer to the end of the calendar year to earn his chance. Booth should be expected to return to Ontario’s rotation when he’s back to full health.
Ken Holland is already putting his bad odor on the Kings, I said it then, I’ll say it now, The Corey Perry signing was STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah a cheap one year deal for Perry is the problem and not the senior citizen defense he is building
I don’t understand how signing a 19 goal scorer on a cheap contract is stupid. Why cause he’s old? That’s stupid logic.
Yep. Totally agree. Watching the behind the scenes footage of the Kings’ exec team making decisions is so painful and cringey. The looks on the faces of Holland’s staff show they think he has 3 heads and no brain, but they all realize it is futile to oppose his ideas, Bergevin included. Holland destroyed the team’s present and future in just one Off Season. Lots of ‘Sleepy Joe’ inside Holland’s pea brain. PHR Karen’s gonna look like fools yet again for reacting with emotion instead of logic.
Don’t feed the troll
Man they haven’t even played a game yet and you guys are shitting all over him! Such vitriol from couch GM’s is crazy. At least see how this plays out.
We found Wilf’s new account. That took long.
Are you insinuating that there is something pathetic about being such an antagonist on purpose that you constantly have to change your identity just to have access to a space you want to have access to, otherwise one would either stop being antagonistic or just leave?
“Middle six role”. Ummm, 4th line. This doesn’t hurt much at all, gives Helenius some time on that line and Perry will be back later. Playoffs is why they signed Perry, not the regular season anyways. s.
That and help on the PP2 unit.