As much as he wants to play tonight against the Ducks, as much as it’s killing him to sit and watch his teammates skate to secure the highest possible playoff seeding, Kings defenseman Matt Greene might not be fit to rejoin the lineup when the playoffs begin April 30. Kings coach Darryl Sutter said Friday he wasn’t sure when or if Greene would play.
“Quite honestly, if he’s not ready to play three or four games and if we made the playoffs, I’d have trouble putting him in, for sure,” Sutter said. “He’s only played a few minutes all year. It’s not about what you did, it’s about what you’re doing.
“It’s very simple. He’s going to have to play three or four games. Otherwise, I would not be comfortable with it. … You’re not going to have a guy who can just play a handful of minutes. Greene’s specialty is he’s a physical player and he’s a good penalty-killer.”
Greene played only a few minutes of the Kings’ season-opening victory Jan. 19 against the Chicago Blackhawks before injuring his back in a collision behind the net. He underwent surgery a few days later. Lately, he’s been skating on his own and with teammates who wish to join him.
But he hasn’t been cleared to participate in a full-contact workout.
“A lot of it is conditioning,” Sutter said of Greene’s return to the lineup before the end of the regular season April 27. “Until he gets contact and we’re kind of in the let’s-get-going mode … otherwise, he’s going to have trouble. He hasn’t been cleared for any of that.”
Sutter went on to praise Greene for playing a strong leadership role inside the Kings’ dressing room despite his extended rehabilitation and recovery period following surgery. Sutter also referred to the 29-year-old Greene as, “our defensive coordinator.”
“He’s been awesome because he’s such a part of our dressing room,” Sutter added. “I want him back, for sure. We need contact. Otherwise, (he will wear) the jersey color that’s not going to get to play. (An returning player has) got to be able to give you minutes.”
Greene was an important member of the Kings’ suffocating defense corps last spring, when the team went on an improbable run to win its first Stanley Cup. The Kings (23-14-4) soldiered on without him this season, sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference before Friday’s action.
He played only 18 minutes, 1 second this season, however.
“Who knows? It’s about being ready,” Greene said when asked if believed he might play before the end of the regular season. “We’ve got a good thing going, so it’s just about getting healthy. … We’ll see what happens down the stretch. Hopefully, I’ll get in a game, but we’ll see what happens.”
