Kings should have Muzzin for season opener

Jake Muzzin was taping up his socks when the Kings’ dressing room was opened to the media today and indicated that he’d be ready to go by opening night.

Via Rich and Lisa, who spoke to Muzzin before he took the ice while I was conducting an interview several stalls down:

Muzzin who was going out w the extras said he will be ready for start of the season

— lisa dillman (@reallisa) October 1, 2015

Jake Muzzin said he will be ready for the season opener. Going for a post-practice skate now.

— Rich Hammond (@Rich_Hammond) October 1, 2015

This isn’t a surprise, as Muzzin (upper-body) has been skating with rehabbing defensive prospect Damir Sharipzyanov after team practices this week, and in pairings earlier today, Drew Doughty was skating alongside Derek Forbort, who is expected to open the season in AHL-Ontario. Had there been concern that Muzzin wouldn’t be available to start the year, Doughty would have been skating with a partner that he’d be appearing in regular season games with, especially during an extended systems-implementing practice such as the one Thursday.

Matt Greene, on the other hand, did not skate (nor did Jeff Carter, though today was a maintenance day for the forward). Because of his limited preseason time – Greene dealt with illness before suffering an upper-body injury during his preseason debut at Colorado on Sunday – there is a question as to whether he’ll be game ready were he to be available at the start of the season. Los Angeles opens the season at home against San Jose on Wednesday, October 7.

“The only thing that concerns me with those two guys being hurt is it’s one thing to be ready, it’s another thing not to have training camp,” Darryl Sutter said. “…Greener’s played a grand total of 10 minutes with their stretch in there.”

Muzzin has appeared in three games this preseason, though he logged only five minutes and 48 seconds in Sunday’s exhibition win. He should avoid lacing up his skates in the state of Colorado during the preseason, having suffered a minor knee injury in Denver in September 2013, and a thumb injury in Colorado Springs in October, 2014.