Without Fiala, the Kings open camp asking Byfield and Laferriere to grow up fast

The Fiala surgery note I filed yesterday covered the immediate fact of it. What's worth sitting with a little longer is the arithmetic it creates. The Kings lost Kopitar to retirement in July — 21 points in 40 games last season, yes, but also the center who organized everything for two decades. Now Fiala, their second-leading scorer a year ago at 34 points, is absent from camp with no firm return date. That's two of the team's top three scorers gone from the opening of training, one permanently.

What's left is a core that hasn't carried a team yet. Quinton Byfield had 29 points last season. Alex Laferriere had 24. Adrian Kempe led the team with 36. Those are the numbers a contender gets from its third line; in Los Angeles right now, they're the foundation. The veteran additions — Zuccarello, Haula, Laughton — add experience around the edges, but none of them changes the underlying math.

Camp was already going to be a proving ground for whether this group could take a step without Kopitar's steadying presence. Fiala's absence makes it more urgent. Byfield and Laferriere will get top-six minutes from day one, whether they're ready or not. My read is that's probably fine for Laferriere, who showed real finishing ability last season, and genuinely uncertain for Byfield, whose point total last year leaned heavily on assists. The Kings need him finding the net more often, and camp was supposed to be where that work started.

It still will be. Just with less margin for a slow start than anyone in the building would have preferred.