Justin Williams’ recovery from his broken ankle is going to be hard to judge on a day-to-day basis, but it’s safe to say that everyone in the Kings organization is enthused about the progress that Williams has made in the past two months, and today, Terry Murray expressed great optimism that Williams will be able to return before the end of the regular season…
Question: It was a big surprise for me to learn that Justin had started skating. Was a surprise to you, or were you kind of tracking him all along?
MURRAY: “I’m very surprised at how far along he is also. He went to the doctor and got the green light to go on the ice. When that call came to me, from Kinger [athletic trainer Chris Kingsley] that, `Here’s the news,’ I said, `You’ve got to be kidding me.’ Man, and here he is now, public skating, and it just shows the dedication and the hard work, and the hard work the medical staff has done with him.”
Question: As a coach, are you keeping it in the back of your mind that he might be able to play before the end of the regular season?
MURRAY: “Damn right I am, and I’ve been thinking that way all the way through, quite honestly. I have never gone through pieces of paper, writing down lines, where I haven’t put his number over in the corner, as a reminder that this is a player who played very well for us. It’s quite likely that he will be back for us in the last games of the season.”
Question: Realistically, given his injury and recovery, do you have any sense of how many games he might need in order to be really ready?
MURRAY: “That’s a tough call. It just comes down to how much work he’s going to put into it right now. If he keeps pushing it the way he has in the past three weeks, for the next couple weeks here, he can come along pretty quickly. That’s a tough call. Whether he needs to go play a couple games in Manchester or not, I don’t know that.”
WOW Thats great to see that Williams is recovering fast
! i always liked him and thought he was one of our key players. Maybe by playoff time we can have that dominating Smyth Kopitar Williams line again!
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Sounds like Murray has the same estimation of Justin that I do. Hugely important piece to the team, and I’m beyond stoked to hear all of this.
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From his own past history (very fast healer) and last year’s experience (relatively slow and rusty after serious injury), plus the assumed nature of a distal tibial-fibular fracture, knowing he is already skating on the leg…
Give him a month, plus or minus 1-2 weeks, to see NHL action. Can’t be more specific, because each case is different, but one would imagine JW visualizing the brass ring is reachable with this Kings team. I can feel it from the distance as a fan; imagine how strongly he can feel the anticipation and the hunger building within the locker room!
The only thing: Don’t come back too soon, JW. Be sure!
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Smyth-Kopitar-Williams
Richardson-Stoll-Brown
Frolov-Handzus-Simmonds
Clune-Moller-Parse/Purcell-Ivanans
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Todd M. I love that your lines are exactly how we started the year except for Richardson replacing Purcell on line 2…
And hopefully a better 4th line with Clune in the mix…
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great to hear the about JW DONT RUSH IT WE NEED YOU 100%
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Not too fast Justy!
We need you guy!!
ssllooww … hheeaalll
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Some Hurricane fan told me Williams heals at a rapid pace. Man, he wasn’t kidding. Great news!
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I wasn’t even missing him. It will just be a bonus when he comes back. Hope he is 100% and can only add to the Kings depth. It’s not like in the past when certain players were out and there was a HUGE void.
Up until the Olympic break, the Kings were doing quite well. Hope he just comes back in or before the playoffs! That’s IF the Kings make them, which I truly hope they do.
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Good to hear that JW might be back sooner that we all hoped.
One thing missing from those line combinations would be the player DL makes a move for. Take it to the bank…he will bring in a veteran forward before the deadline!
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Doesn’t matter when/if he comes back cuz
you can’t count on him staying healthy.
His body can’t withstand the NHL
grind. Being injured twice this
season says it all.
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EMur Reply:
February 25th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
@KOHO, It does matter. He maybe can’t play every game but he brings everything to the ones he can play in. And clearly his body can stand it, if only his luck wasn’t so ungodly bad.
Back in two and a half months from a torn achilles(usually 4-6 months), back in 3 months from an ACL/MCL tear(usually 4-8 months), back in four months from a second ACL/MCL tear, clearly this guy is pretty driven.
I’ve watched him since he plays in Philly, and I can honestly say he’s one I’d like always on the ice if only his luck held out.
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DellaNooch Reply:
February 25th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
@KOHO,
He broke his leg in a collison, that’s hardly saying anything, it could have been Kopi coming out of that collison with a broken leg (thank god it wasn’t). Agreed with EMur…JW brings a quickness and smart play that no else on the Kings has, plus he does all the little things, he’ll only make us better when he returns
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jet Reply:
February 25th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
@KOHO, hopefully we only need him to play 16 games.
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ducksuck Reply:
February 25th, 2010 at 9:26 pm
@KOHO,
would you rather the kings kept POS??????? no where are they on the same level for one, so please don’t insult the team and I am sure that leg break was his body not being able to withstand the NHL. If you thought about what actually happened you would see it was a freak accident could have happened to anyone on any NHL team, its a part of the game. But if I am going to think like you I would say something stupid like, ya that Ryan Symth guy has not been the same since he got hurt that’s why he didn’t make the Olympics because he sucks and the kings should get Pressing and Quincey back. see there i can be a idiot too
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wow im shocked to hear that williams is back skating so soon. thats amazing! but please do not come back too soon… 100% healthy and ready for the playoffs!!! cant wait to see our top line back in action plus you gotta love the fro/zues/simmer line which will happen once williams is back!!!
Go Kings Go!!!!!
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\@KOHO, wow brutally honest!
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I certainly hope he recovers and improves lineup. Last season however he never returned to game shape.
With that in mind his return could fall either way.
He could end up being a square peg that leave a round hole in the line up.
Kopitar and Smyth evolved to play a different style of game since the injury.
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Would we a great boost for the team if Willy can come back and contribute something.
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I didn’t give up hope until a couple of weeks ago.Shame on me for not going with my gutt.
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If he needs to go for conditioning please don’t send him to Manchester!!! Send him to Ontario!!!
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Dominick Reply:
February 25th, 2010 at 9:06 pm
@Toothless, I doubt thats even an option,but nice try.lol
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Boy this team will only get better with him back. He’ll really bring depth back to this team, and depth is SO critical come playoff time
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I think its wishful thinking at its finest.
If he does make it back he almost certainly won’t be near the level he was at before the injury. Not to mention a very high risk for another injury.
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Last year when he came back his hand was not fully healed. It had nothing to do with his “game-shape”, or “rust.” I remember sitting at the top of the tunnel next to the Kings bench, and Williams had skated himself to a near breakaway, but then he just couldn’t handle the puck and ended up flubbing the thing towards the corner. He came to the bench shaking his hand, it was obvious he had very limited strength. Once his leg heals, he will be much closer to contributing than as if he played with a bad hand. By the time he is cleared for game play, he should be about 95% and able to skate into game shape. I still think he will be there April 1, play for 5 or 6 games and take full shifts in the playoffs.
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Public skating? Wow, I better rethink my opinions on public sessions…
How weird would that be to run into Williams during the disco ball session on a Friday night.
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All I will say is when he got hurt the press said it would be about 4-8 weeks so he is just on time no surprise there and this break really helps for injured players like JW. I hope he come back slow so he doesn’t re injure his leg like Allison did, but when he comes back should be my new favorite just to shut up everyone that doubted Dean and JW. JW just like Zues very underestimated but huge part of the team even though the 9 game streak was without JW, I think he will bring good gritty board work and feed some passes to Kopi. Also hope Dean can get us one more player on the roster that can fill in the wing and put Stoll back at center. Also Lubo would be huge to get back but i doubt the Oilers gm would trade him back but one winger and one offensive defense men to help on the PP would be great trades for the deadline and should really help with a playoff push. O and my comment would not be complete without saying get Purcell off the team!! Rich you do a great job love the interviews and of course love the blogs really really nice to have you apart of the organization!!:)
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Coach Murray sounds stoked! Great news! Should make for an interesting trade deadline next week.
To “rent-a-Vet” or not?
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Jietoh Reply:
February 26th, 2010 at 7:38 am
@Jim S., NOT…
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My son broke his coller bone around the time JW got hurt. My son’s a swimmer and he got back in the pool about a week ago so I’m not all that suprised that JW is skating.
I’m betting that he’s got at least another 3 weeks before he’s going to be ready for any kind of contact practices and then another 2 for him to be in game shape. I’m taking a wild guess that we’ll see him in a King’s sweater around March 18th…
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@Barry’s Mullet,
Barry, I would be looking more for Lombardi to bring in a veteren defenseman for the #6 role, to sure up the defense there (so we don’t have to see Randy Jones ever again).
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ducksuck Reply:
February 26th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
@mrbrett7,
28 games, 5 goals, 9 assists, 1 on the power play, 1 short handed, 1 game winning. EVER AGAIN?? I agree we need a guy at the blue line(Vote For Lubo) but really don’t think he is the worse. Aki Berg now he sucked!!
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