Kopitar: 'No way' I could jump into season without exhibition games

Notable injuries to star players have sparked debate about the necessity of the NHL preseason, but Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar is among those who feel the exhibition contests are important.

"For me personally, I would definitely want to play exhibition games for sure," Kopitar said Wednesday, per Kings Insider Zach Dooley. "There's no way I can go without playing any games and jump into the season opener. It's just not the type of body that I have, and it's just the mind and the timing on the ice that you do get with exhibition games."

Kopitar has already played in one preseason contest this campaign and typically suits up for about three each year.

Kings coach Jim Hiller agreed that the ramp-up period is necessary and better for the long-term health of someone like Kopitar.

"If Kopi was not to play a game for a month and then jump into an NHL game, we might be putting him in more jeopardy, so that's just the risk you're going to have to take to get your body, your mind, back up to the speed and get going when it gets for real, because, we know it goes even at a higher level once the regular season starts," Hiller said, per Dooley.

"I don't think there's much we can do about (the injuries), just kind of unfortunate. And this year, they really have piled up, so I can understand why it's a topic."

Kings defenseman Drew Doughty and Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine suffered long-term injuries this preseason. Doughty is month-to-month with a fractured ankle, while Laine is expected to miss two-to-three months with a knee sprain.

Artemi Panarin, Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, Macklin Celebrini, and John Tavares are among those who've gotten banged up ahead of the regular season.

Each NHL team plays six-to-eight exhibition games, although the league and NHLPA have reportedly held preliminary discussions about shortening the preseason to four contests and adding two more regular-season matchups.

"I mean, there's been seasons with no preseason in the past with no injuries, and we didn't talk about this at all," Kopitar said. "It's just been very, very bad luck, especially for our team too. We lost a big, big piece, obviously, in Drew, but we've got to look ahead. There's going to be guys that are going to need to step up and pull a little bit more weight because he is out."

Kopitar has been remarkably durable throughout his 18-year NHL career. He's never been sidelined in a campaign for more than the 10 games he missed during his rookie season.

The two-time Selke Trophy winner remains one of the game's most effective two-way centers. The 37-year-old reached the 70-point mark for the ninth time in his career last season with 26 goals and 44 assists, finishing fifth in Selke voting.