Los Angeles Kings activate Mikey Anderson from LTIR

The Los Angeles Kings are getting a reinforcement just in time for the playoffs. The team has activated Mikey Anderson from long-term injured reserve, making him available for tonight’s game against the Seattle Kraken.

Anderson, 22, has become a staple in the Kings lineup over the last calendar year and was averaging more than 20 minutes a night before he was hurt in early March. Last appearing in a game on March 7, he collided with Brad Marchand and ended up needing help off the ice. Placed on LTIR soon after, he’s played just 55 games this season.

Since entering the league, he had quickly established himself as a legitimate shutdown defenseman, pairing with Drew Doughty for the vast majority of his minutes in the NHL. While he had just seven points before going down, his responsible nature and penalty-killing ability was a huge loss to the Kings, who suddenly found themselves down several key defensemen through the middle part of the season.

Now with Doughty done for the season following surgery, it will be interesting to see Anderson line up with a new partner. In his career to this point he has spent more than 1,400 minutes beside the Kings’ star defenseman; the next closest is Tobias Bjornfot, with 245 minutes together.