Los Angeles Kings Scratch Star Forward Kevin Fiala for Violating Team Protocol

According to a report from Kings insider Zach Dooley, the team will be scratching Kevin Fiala tonight after the forward missed a team meeting.

Team meetings are incredibly important in a team sport like hockey, and missing them for any reason is a serious offence. Best case, it's an issue of preparedness and routine that forced him to be late or no-show. Worst case, he missed the meeting due to personal problems or entirely forgot about it. The most famous scratching for missing a team event has always been Tyler Seguin with the Boston Bruins, scratched for missing a team breakfast. In Seguin's case, it seems pretty likely that he was out the night before.

For a struggling Los Angeles Kings team early this year, it can't be a good sign at all for Fiala to be scratched and miss a game. Fiala is one of their premier scorers, registering 29 goals and 79 points last season. If the Kings ever have a hope at all to beat the Oilers in the playoffs, they'll be relying on a player like Fiala to perform to his best capabilities. Early this season Fiala has been off to a decent start with 4 goals and 6 points in 9 games, but there's clearly more to be desired from the player.

This incident will surely be an embarrassing wake up call for Fiala, and may even light a spark under him. We'll have to see how he responds next game when the Kings take on the Vegas Golden Knights at home tomorrow night.