Quoting: AndrewLadd
Dang that’s awful, I hope all these prospects are able to overcome the injuries
Heh, you and me both. From an optimistic point of view, though, things seem to be moving forward.
Vilardi had a full NHL season last year. Played as the 2C, but showed some conditioning issues that he struggled with late in games. That conditioning is likely due to missing almost all ice time in two key development years. As a fellow King fan said above, he was named the MVP of the preseason for LA by the coach. Watching him, he looked to have gained a step and wasn't fading in games like last year.
Turcotte is a stud when he's playing. His injury history has me concerned, but when he's playing, he's a difference maker. Oozes skill. He doesn't have an NHL shot, but he'll be an extremely talented playmaker at the NHL level. And when Kaliyev is on his wing... he won't need to be the one scoring goals lol.
Kupari, like I said, is coming along nicely. He's on the borderline of the NHL/AHL and would be playing in the N if the roster didn't have plugs until the end of the year. Instead, he'll get 20+ minutes a night with Turcotte/****emo/etc.
Byfield is an NHL'r. The Kings looked like a completely different team when he was on the ice as opposed to after his injury. He brings a different dynamic when he's in the lineup, and shouldn't see anything more than a conditioning stint when healthy.
Toby is starting as a 2nd pair defenseman in his sophomore season. He looks good, we just need to try to coax more offense out of him.
Clarke returns to the OHL tonight after recovering from mono. First game back! So it doesn't sound like it was too serious of a case.