The Los Angeles Kings' title hopes got a boost with the news that Simon Gagne was cleared to return for the Stanley Cup final.
But, that boost may not be a tangible one felt on the ice, as coach Daryl Sutter was noncommittal when asked if the 32-year-old, 11-year veteran would actually see action, according to Joseph D'Hippolito of The New York Times.
“He is available,” Sutter said. “That’s a better way of looking at it, right? You need lots of live ammo.”
Gagne suffered a concussion, the third of his career, only 34 games into the season.
Even if Gagne doesn't see action, the presence of a veteran with so much experience is sure to bolster the team's readiness for the final. For many of these players, this is the biggest series of their lives, and let's not forget the Kings are a very young team.
Their average age is 26 years old, and more importantly, everyone in the core of Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick is 27 or younger.
With all of them having spent their entire careers with the Kings, no one has ever been this deep into the postse ...
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Article written by Brian Mazique
Stanley Cup 2012: Simon Gagne’s Return Will Help Fuel Kings’ Title Run
May 29th, 2012 by Brian Mazique Leave a reply »
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