Kevin Fiala back at Kings practice, still week to week

The Thursday morning skate before Ottawa started a 7-game homestand, and the most important thing at practice wasn't anything tied to the lineup.

Zach Dooley

@DooleyLAK

2⃣2⃣ is on the ice in a non-contact jersey today! First time back with the full group. Mats Zuccarello is also out there in what looks like a non-contact capacity.

Zach Dooley

@DooleyLAK

Kevin Fiala 👀

Some context on why this is a big deal. Fiala broke his lower left leg in multiple places playing for Switzerland at the Winter Olympics in February. Then he needed a follow-up procedure in September, which also cost him the start of training camp. So Thursday was the first time in about 8 months that the guy has practiced with his teammates. Non-contact jersey or not, Kings fans were waiting a long time to see that.

Now the bad news. Laviolette wasn't putting a date on anything, and he lumped Zuccarello into the same week-to-week bucket.

Zach Dooley

@DooleyLAK

Kevin Fiala and Mats Zuccarello are both on "week-to-week" timelines, per Peter Laviolette PL said it's "really great to see Kevin out there" but was also cautious not to put any timelines on a potential lineup return. Positive seeing him out there, but still steps to take."

That's the honest coach answer. A guy coming off a broken leg and surgery doesn't go from his first non-contact skate straight into an NHL game. He still has to get through contact, then conditioning, then probably some line rushes before anyone should be writing him into the top 6. Laviolette clearly loves seeing him out there, though. He told NHL.com Fiala "always got a smile on his face." Still, "steps to take" means exactly that.

The lineup that actually played Ottawa did get healthier in other places. Drew Doughty and Corey Perry both missed the game in Chicago, and both were back for this one.

Eric Stephens

@IcemanAthletic

Per Peter Laviolette, Drew Doughty and Corey Perry will be back in the Kings lineup against Senators after missing the game in Chicago. Darcy Kuemper has the net. Cody Ceci draws out.

Getting Doughty back on the blue line is huge for a team that came back to LA needing to fix its special teams, and Perry is still a pest on the power play at his age. Cody Ceci came out to make room. Darcy Kuemper got the first start of the homestand.

There was some roster shuffling up front as well. With Fiala and Zuccarello both out, the Kings called up Martin Chromiak from Ontario and sent Jared Wright back down to the Reign.

The Mayor | Team MM

@mayorNHL

Other shoe has dropped. LA Kings have recalled Martin Chromiak from AHL Ontario. Jared Wright has also been returned to the Reign. Per the CBA new rules, he'll need to play at least one AHL game (i.e. tomorrow in Ontario) before being eligible for another recall.

The Mayor | Team MM

@mayorNHL

ROSTER MOVE Kings have placed Mats Zuccarello on injured reserve. Hasn't appeared right all season. Should be a good opportunity for him to rest and recover, come back better. Meanwhile, we'd expect another forward to be recalled before Thursday... Or will Turcotte be ready?

Chromiak earned the call. He has 6 goals in 9 AHL games and was named AHL Player of the Week last week after back-to-back 3-point games. According to the Kings' own preview, though, he wasn't expected to dress against Ottawa, so for now he's insurance. Alex Turcotte also skated on his own that morning, which means there's a whole group of injured forwards working back at once. Fiala is the one that changes the ceiling of this team. The next step to watch for is him trading the non-contact jersey for a regular one. When that happens, the week-to-week label starts meaning days instead of weeks.