LOS ANGELES -- Kings defenseman Robyn Regehr, who has been out for a month with a knee injury, says he could possibly return for Wednesday's Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals against the New York Rangers.
Regehr, who suffered the knee injury in Game 1 of the team's semifinal series against the Anaheim Ducks, has been cleared for contact. He skated with his teammates last Friday for the first time since suffering the injury.
"I think it's going to be a coach's decision," Regehr said. "I think that I've been working hard at getting back to feeling like I can be ready to roll. At this point it's whatever Darryl would like me to be. If he feels he would like me in the lineup I feel like I'm ready to go. If he wants to stay with the same lineup that was successful in Game 7 against Chicago I totally understand that, too."
Coach Darryl Sutter has stated there is no set timetable for Regeher's return at the moment.
"I'm just working to try to stay ready," Regher said. "I feel that I'm really close. I have taken a little bit of contact and done some one-on-ones and things like that. All that helps. I was off the ice for a long time so right now I'm trying to work as hard as I can so I can feel like I'm ready to roll. It's a decision that has to be made by trainers, doctors, myself and coaches and well at some point."
"I've done a little bit of contact, but not a huge amount. It's really hard to just get in practices at this time, too, because it's the playoffs, travel, especially with the last series we just didn't get in a lot of practice time."
While Regehr has been out since May 3 he has been skating with the team since Game 6 of the conference finals against the Chicago Blackhawks and believes that time with the team during practice and warm-ups will help with the rust factor when and if he ultimately returns during the finals.
"It was nice to go into even just the warm-up in Game 7 against Chicago because there's the physical part of the game but something even more important is the preparation, the mental side of it," Regehr said. "Being with the guys in there and going through the mental preparation that was really important because I hadn't done that for four weeks. That type of stuff needs to come around too. It's not just how you are doing physically."