Fiala's surgery adds another hole to a Kings camp that already had plenty

Kevin Fiala underwent follow-up surgery Thursday for the broken leg he sustained at the Milan Cortina Olympics and will miss the start of training camp. The Kings haven't put a timeline on his return, which is its own kind of answer. Fiala was Los Angeles's second-leading scorer last season — 34 points in 48 games — and the team was already walking into camp short a center who defined the franchise for two decades.

That would be the Kopitar-shaped gap, which hasn't gotten any smaller since July. The Kings signed some veteran depth this offseason and locked Brandt Clarke into a long-term extension, sensible moves both. But none of that addresses what happens on the ice when the two players who were supposed to anchor your top six aren't available at the same time.

What's left is a younger group that hasn't fully arrived yet. Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere both logged nearly 50 games last season and both have room to grow — that's the optimistic framing, and it's not wrong. It's just that "room to grow" is a lot to lean on when camp opens short-handed and the schedule doesn't care about your injury list.

The Kings' recovery timeline for Fiala is uncertain. So is the broader question of whether this group is ready to carry more. Camp was already going to be a proving ground. Now it's a necessity.