Martinez closer, but no firm timetable

Alec Martinez has continued the escalation of his on-ice work to the point where he was engaging in battle drills at today’s practice. He shared the ice with Tanner Pearson and several coaches after other players had returned to the dressing room, so it’s still a bit of a stretch to consider his return “imminent.”

There remains no firm timetable on when Martinez could return to the Kings’ lineup.

“I have no idea if he’s a week or two weeks,” Darryl Sutter said. “I really have no idea. Like those things, I don’t even ask. Until somebody comes and says, ‘I’m game ready,’ or ‘he’s game ready’ then I [don’t] think about it.”

So, to recap: Martinez is getting closer, but we probably won’t get a clear picture of an immediate return until he takes part in line rushes the morning of a game and doesn’t remain on the ice for extra work.

The 27-year-old left-shooting defenseman has five goals, 17 points and a plus-11 rating and has tied his career-high with 79 shots on goal.

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