Each year as teams get eliminated in the Stanley Cup playoffs, fans are reminded why hockey players are the toughest athletes in any sport. Every year, players will play through serious injuries just to battle with their team.
During exit interviews today, Kings forward Philip Danault revealed that he had broken both index fingers, and still played every game.
Phil Danault is regarded as one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL, and is a key part of the Kings strategy to shut down Connor McDavid in the playoffs. This injury explains his poorer performance than usual, and then how the Oilers were able to eliminate the Kings so quickly. With two broken fingers, Danault would've had an impossible time with stick checking or faceoffs, which are key parts to his game.
After ending their season for the third straight year in the same fashion, the Los Angeles Kings will take a hard look at themselves and have to re-evaluate their team, but this debilitating injury to a key player in Phil Danault may have been too much for the Kings to overcome.