Already oft-challenged to score at full strength, the Kings will be shorthanded up front Wednesday against the San Jose Sharks, and very likely beyond.
Since Dec. 29, they had been missing Trevor Moore, who was now deemed day-to-day with an upper-body injury after initially being out with an illness. They’ll also be without Anže Kopitar (lower-body) and Joel Armia (upper-body), who sustained injuries in Monday’s win over the Minnesota Wild. In an unforeseen development, Corey Perry was designated for non-roster status Wednesday as he left the team to attend to an ailing family member.
For Kopitar, it’s his second appearance on the injury report after missing four games with a foot injury. His 20th and final season has seen his production drop, to 21 points in 37 games, though his on-ice/off-ice splits have remained strong.
Armia was brought in over the summer and he has been a contributor in all situations, most notably netting a league-leading four short-handed goals. Moore has struggled to produce consistently this season, but the Thousand Oaks native provides both positional and situational versatility.
Perry had been perhaps the brightest spot among a group of five offseason additions. He’s on pace for his highest point total since 2017-18, the penultimate season of an illustrious tenure with the Ducks, which included a Hart Trophy (2011) and Stanley Cup (2007).
Recalled from the Ontario Reign were Andre Lee and Taylor Ward.
Ward, 27, made his NHL debut in last year’s regular-season finale against the Calgary Flames and scored his first career NHL goal, the Kings’ only tally in a 5-1 loss.
Lee, 25, also made his first NHL appearance last year, in the season opener in Buffalo. He ultimately skated in 19 games, scoring his first NHL goal in the last one, a 3-0 win over New Jersey on Jan. 1, 2025.
In addition to Ward and Lee drawing in, defenseman Jacob Moverare will dress for the ninth time this season and the second instance as a seventh defenseman. He helped fill in for Drew Doughty during a seven-game absence due to a foot injury, but he played just two shifts in Oct. 30’s shootout loss to Detroit, in which Moverare was deployed as a seventh blue-liner.
In typical fashion for the NHL and the Kings in particular, the extent and nature of the injuries was not disclosed, and the length of Perry’s absence was not yet determined either.