Los Angeles Kings forward Kevin Fiala is reportedly expected to miss the remainder of the 2025-26 NHL season after suffering a leg injury while representing Switzerland at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
According to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, Fiala underwent what was likely season-ending surgery to repair a lower leg injury he suffered during a 5-1 loss to Canada in the round robin portion of the Olympic men’s hockey tournament on Friday.
The injury occurred on a hit by Washington Capitals and Team Canada forward Tom Wilson in the closing minutes of Friday’s game.
Their legs became entangled, and Fiala was in clear agony when he hit the ice. The 29-year-old winger’s leg was placed in an air cast, and he was taken off the ice on a stretcher.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Wilson called the hit “unlucky,” and made it clear that he had no intention of injuring Fiala, saying, “He’s a competitor, obviously. At this point, it’s the Olympic Games, and I feel terrible that he may not be able to keep playing and just sending his family and him my best. You never want to see a guy go down in a tournament like this, especially. It sucks for the country, for their team, and just wishing him a quick recovery.”
This year marks the first time NHL players have been permitted to compete at the Winter Olympics since the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.
Switzerland has not medaled in men’s hockey at the Olympics since 1948, but it entered the Milano Cortina Games with podium hopes thanks to a roster that features plenty of NHL talent, including Fiala.
A one-time NHL All-Star and three-time IIHF World Championship silver medalist, Fiala is in the midst of his fourth season with the Kings.
Prior to the Olympic break, Fiala had recorded 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points in 56 games this season for a Kings team that is currently three points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
A former member of the Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild, Fiala has registered 229 goals and 299 goals for 528 points in 707 career NHL regular-season games over 12 seasons.
Fiala scored a career-high 35 goals for the Kings last season, and his career-high, single-season point total remains 85 during his final season with the Wild in 2021-22.
Since the Kings have now lost their second-leading scorer in Fiala, they will have to lean heavily on the recently acquired Artemi Panarin, as well as the likes of Adrian Kempe, Quinton Byfield, Corey Perry, Brandt Clarke, Alex Laferriere, Anže Kopitar and a host of others to provide enough offense the rest of the way in order to reach the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season.