Mornings Are a Bit More Relaxed Now

The Kings, a loose and happy group Monday morning, continue to learn to take things a little easier under interim Coach John Torchetti.

The team’s morning skate was optional and players who participated were not put through a rigorous workout, as they often had been under former coach Andy Murray. Those game-day workouts, more than one player said, led to fatigue during games at times, although team captain Mattias Norstrom denied that was the case.

“If there were players who felt worn out from the morning skate, I would have gone right in to the coach and told him about it,” Norstrom said.

Still, Mark Parrish, a newcomer to the Kings, was surprised by the intensity of the team’s morning skates.

After participating in his first one in Detroit, he came off the ice and told Sean Avery, “That was rough. I’m not used to that.”

Avery replied, “That wasn’t even a tough one.”

Said Norstrom, “Andy called them ‘necessary skates,’ not ‘optional.’ So if you decided to go out there, you were going to work. Every coach has a different style.”

But while radio talk show hosts in Canada and columnists who rarely made it out to the rink have criticized players for saying Murray was too hard on them, King players have said the new style is more suited for success.

“It’s more fun around here,” Avery said. “The aura is different.” But he also said, “If things don’t happen now, then it will be our fault.”

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The chip fracture in Jeremy Roenick’s right ankle will take four to six weeks to heal, meaning he is likely to miss the rest of the regular season. There is a slight chance Roenick could play, if the pain subsides enough.

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King defenseman Brent Sopel returned to play in Vancouver for the first time since the Canucks traded him to the New York Islanders in August.

“I spent 10 years in this organization and five seasons with the team, so it feels a little weird to be here,” Sopel said before the game. “It’s exciting too.”

Sopel, who faced the Canucks earlier this season when he was with the Islanders, returned to the Kings’ lineup after missing one game with a sore knee.

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Center Derek Armstrong, who left Saturday’s game with a back injury, and defenseman Tim Gleason, who has a knee injury, did not play Monday.

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The NHL suspended the Nashville Predators’ Darcy Hordichuk for three games for his altercation with the Kings’ George Parros during Saturday’s game. Hordichuk jumped Parros, who had been knocked to the ice.