Kings lose Toffoli (mono), Pearson (broken leg) on Saturday

Posted on by Jen Neale

Things aren’t going to get any easier for the Los Angeles Kings any time soon. Two-thirds of ‘That 70’s Line’, Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson, are out indefinitely for two very different reasons.

Prior to Saturday’s tilt against the Jets, the Kings announced Toffoli has contracted a case of m… If you were going to interrupt and say ‘mumps’ you would be incorrect. Toffoli has MONO!

What are symptoms of mononucleosis, you ask? It shares some, but not all, characteristics of the mumps. From the CDC website:

  • extreme fatigue
  • fever
  • sore throat
  • head and body aches
  • swollen lymph nodes in the neck and armpits
  • swollen liver or spleen or both
  • rash

Per friend of the blog, Jon Rosen (@LAKingsInsider):

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Perhaps you remember mono from your school days when it was known as ‘the kissing disease’. Kissing is one way of getting mono, as it is spread through saliva.

As mentioned above, the amount of time Toffoli will be out is undetermined. (LA might as well burn all their water bottles and just get new ones now that mono and the mumps have invaded So Cal.) There is no magic treatment for mono, and he has to be especially careful about coming back to a contact sport. Again, from the CDC:

… Most people get better in 2 to 4 weeks; however, some people may feel fatigued for several more weeks. Occasionally, the symptoms of infectious mononucleosis can last for 6 months or longer.

…There is no vaccine to protect against infectious mononucleosis. You can help protect yourself by not kissing or sharing drinks, food, or personal items, like toothbrushes, with people who have infectious mononucleosis.

You can help relieve symptoms of infectious mononucleosis by—

  • drinking fluids to stay hydrated
  • getting plenty of rest
  • taking over-the-counter medications for pain and fever

Because your spleen may become enlarged as a result of infectious mononucleosis, you should avoid contact sports until you fully recover. Participating in contact sports can be strenuous and may cause the spleen to rupture.

Yikes! All the best to Tyler Toffoli in his recovery.

After Kings fans had time to digest the Toffoli news, they received another gut-punch by way of Tanner Pearson leaving the game after crashing legs first into the end boards. If you watch the video below, his left leg twists awkwardly as it makes impact with the boards and torques again as the rest of his body makes contact.

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Pearson struggled to skate over to the bench and get off the ice as he put no weight on his left foot. After the game, Rosen confirmed what most feared:

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Earlier in the day, Pearson was announced as an All-Star game rookie invite who would take place in the skills competition prior to the All-Star game. Pearson is the second All-Star roster member to fall to injury on Saturday as Jimmy Howard was injured earlier against Washington.

LA is not short on talent, but can occasionally fall prey to offensive droughts. Toffoli and Pearson combine for 47-points on the season so far. Toffoli leads the league with 4 short-handed goals. Pearson tops the Kings in game-winning goals at 3.

The Kings have not yet decided on making any movements fill the players spots for now. Note to Mike Richards: now would be a great time for you to show up.