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‘There’s a shot’ Pearson (broken fibula) returns to Kings before playoffs

Tanner Pearson, Tyler Toffoli

Tanner Pearson, Tyler Toffoli

AP

The Kings made their big trade deadline splash yesterday, acquiring defenseman Andrej Sekera from Carolina, but that might not be L.A.'s lone enforcement for the playoffs.

Rookie scoring sensation Tanner Pearson -- who still sits eighth among first-year players in goals (12) despite breaking his fibula in early January -- could return to the Kings prior to the end of the regular season.

“It’s possible,” Kings GM Dean Lombardi said, per Mayors’ Manor. “We’ve seen that with a lot of these young kids. They get better fast. He’s been working really hard. That’s one thing about being young, they seem to heal quicker.

“Barring any complications, which I don’t foresee right now with the way he’s progressing, I think there’s a shot.”

Pearson, 22, suffered the injury in a game against the Jets and quickly underwent surgery. The initial timetable for return was three months, at which point head coach Darryl Sutter speculated Pearson wouldn’t be available until the opening round of the playoffs.

“Basically, after the injury, we just looked at it like he was done for the year,” Sutter said, per LA Kings Insider.

Getting Pearson back would be a huge boon for the Kings. He was a standout performer during last year’s Stanley Cup championship, scoring 12 points in 24 games as part of “That 70s Line” with Jeff Carter and fellow rookie Tyler Toffoli.