Kings place Regehr on injured reserve, recall Schultz from AHL
Defenseman Robyn Regehr was placed on injured reserve by the Los Angeles Kings on Friday with an upper-body injury.
The defending Stanley Cup champions recalled Jeff Schultz from the AHL after the latest significant setback for the Kings' defensive corps.
Regehr was hurt during the second period of Los Angeles' 6-4 comeback victory over St. Louis on Thursday. He is likely to be out at least two weeks with the unspecified injury.
The Kings' patchwork lineup is a significant factor in their intermittent defensive struggles this season after Jonathan Quick won the Jennings Trophy last year representing the NHL's best defensive team. Schultz would be the ninth defenseman to play for Los Angeles this season.
Los Angeles is still sixth in the NHL with just 2.36 goals allowed per game, but has given up 21 regulation goals in its last five games.
Regehr, Alec Martinez and Jake Muzzin have already missed significant stretches of the season with injuries, while Slava Voynov will miss his 28th straight game Saturday against Arizona while under suspension after his arrest on a felony domestic violence charge. The Russian Olympian's indefinite suspension will be one of the longest in NHL history.
The Kings also allowed Willie Mitchell to leave for Florida as a free agent in the offseason, and replacements Brayden McNabb and Jamie McBain are still adapting to the NHL game.
Star defenseman Drew Doughty is averaging 29:07 in playing time per game, trailing only Minnesota's Ryan Suter as the NHL's busiest player.
Schultz got his name on the Stanley Cup last season even though he has yet to play in a regular-season game for Los Angeles.
After spending the 2013-14 regular season in the AHL, Schultz played in seven postseason games during the Kings' second championship run when Mitchell and Regehr were out with injuries.
Schultz scored 75 points in 399 games with the Washington Capitals before signing with the Kings. He has nine points in 26 games this season for their AHL affiliate in Manchester.
