Kevin Fiala Making Progress Ahead of On-Ice Return for LA Kings
While the Los Angeles Kings did not make a splash in the 2025-26 Stanley Cup playoffs, their attention may have been elsewhere.
Teammate Kevin Fiala suffered a gruesome injury in February and missed the rest of the regular season and all of the playoffs.
He is one of the more crucial pieces of the Kings’ offense.
With training camp right around the corner, will he be ready to go?
Fiala suffered an unwatchable leg injury as part of Team Switzerland against Team Canada on February 13, 2026, at the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. He lay there on the ice in severe pain, and the pain was so severe that he had to be carted off on a stretcher. Kings fans back home gasped as they prepared for any news. When the news came back, and it was not good, they wondered about their season and playoff picture. He would be out for both.
Fiala would undergo successful surgery after the incident overseas to repair fractures in his lower left leg. The outlook was good, but his recovery time was unknown. The injury would heal on its own, and recovery time would vary from person to person. Fiala needed to do what was asked and hope for the best.
According to Kings General Manager Ken Holland, Fiala is doing extremely well and is healing ahead of schedule. In fact, he may have been a depth option in last season’s playoffs if the Kings had gone deep enough.
Fiala spent the entire offseason rehabbing his leg, hoping to strengthen the muscle, regain full strength, and pass physicals to participate in training camp. The outlook is good, with no setbacks so far.
Fiala came to the Kings in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on June 29, 2022. The Wild sent Fiala to the Kings in exchange for defenseman Brock Faber and a 1st-round draft pick in 2022 (Liam Ohgren). This is a rare win for both teams as all players involved have done increasingly well with their new clubs.
Last season, Fiala played only 56 games with the Kings but put up 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points. His offensive production was missed in the second half of the season, and he could have been a difference maker in the playoffs. However, what happened happened. It is clear that he was missed and is a vital part of the team’s culture and offense. Whether he comes back at full strength or not, he will do everything he can to get back in the lineup and help this team win.
Injuries happen, but this one came at a bad time.
Fiala is doing everything he can to make sure he is in the lineup for game 1 of the season to turn this ship around, hoping to lead the Kings to a second-round appearance in the playoffs.
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