Can Drewiske stay put this time?

Will this be Davis Drewiske’s chance to finish the season strong? Last season, Drewiske returned from injury in early January but appeared in only four games after Jan. 4. This season, Drewiske has been healthy, but he has also been a healthy scratch from 19 consecutive games. Drewiske’s removal from the lineup coincided with Willie Mitchell’s return from injury in early January, the health of the Kings’ other defensemen and the solid play of rookie Alec Martinez. This week, though, the Kings look to make a change, and Drewiske will return to the lineup tonight in place of Martinez. After today’s morning skate, Murray talked about the move, and explained that Drewiske wasn’t being punished for a lack of effort…

MURRAY: “His game was OK, yeah, but I think there’s so much more there. I see a different hockey player today, after going through an extended time here out of the lineup, with all the extra work but on the skill part of his game. He looks much better, to me, when I see him in the practices. On the other side of it, as a young player, with the decision to put him back in, with (Alec Martinez) it was that attitude of, `This is my opportunity to really go out and go after it.’ Then he gets there and takes a step backward. Two forward and one back. He’s going to break through. He’s got the potential to be a very good player in this league, but right now, there have been several games where he’s not at the level he needs to be at, so with the two of them, one working and looking really good, and the other player who is not quite on top of it, it’s a decision that needed to be made.”