Report: Kings’ Kevin Fiala to have season-ending surgery
Unfortunate news for a team looking to get back into the Stanley Cup Playoff race, and a country hoping to make a run in Milan.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Los Angeles Kings forward is set to have leg surgery on Saturday morning in Italy, effectively ending his season.
Fiala was injured during Switzerland’s second game of the men’s tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics. In the third period against Canada on Friday, Fiala was pursued by Canadian forward Tom Wilson, with the two coming together just inside the Canadian blue line. Wilson went to hit Fiala, with their feet getting tied up along the boards. Wilson then inadvertently fell onto Fiala’s lower half, leaving the veteran winger in a great deal of pain.
Shame to hear #Switzerland 🇨🇭 & #Kings star Kevin Fiala suffered a serious leg injury. Announcers are saying #Canada 🇨🇦 & #Capitals Tom Wilson did "nothing malicious" here. Closed captions make it tough to see if it's a slew foot, so I'll take their word.
No penalty was called on the play. Fiala had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher.
Friedman reported that it hasn’t been officially announced what exactly Fiala hurt, but it was immediately clear that his Olympics were over.
Canada would win the game, 5-1, securing first place in Group A.
Fiala had picked up an assist in the Swiss’ 4-0 win over France on Thursday. He was expected to be a key part of an experienced group that could at least make it to the quarterfinals, if not sneak into the semifinals.
The injury is also a blow to the Kings’ chances. The team went into the Olympic break just outside of a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, and took a big swing in acquiring Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers in order to bolster the team’s offense. While the team has struggled to score at times this year, Fiala has been at the forefront of Los Angeles’ attack. The 29-year-old has scored 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points, sitting second on the Kings in scoring behind Adrian Kempe.
Switzerland (1-0-1) wraps up its preliminary round on Sunday against Czechia, with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.
The Kings (23-19-14) are fifth in the Pacific Division, three points back of the Anaheim Ducks for the second Wild Card spot.