Johnson Won’t be Ready for Opener

King left wing Craig Johnson, who was acquired in the Wayne Gretzky deal from the Blues in February, won’t be able to start the season on Oct. 4. Johnson has been limited to two exhibition games and went pointless. Last season, he had five goals and nine points in 11 games with the Kings.

Throughout training camp, he has been hampered by a hip flexor and he also has an abdominal strain. The seriousness of his injury became apparent when the Kings decided to send Johnson to Vancouver later this week to be examined by Dr. Ross Davidson, considered one of the leading abdominal specialists in Canada.

Davidson has performed abdominal surgery on several NHL players, and previously consulted on cases involving former Kings Marty McSorley and Brent Thompson.