Kings' Turcotte proving worth after injury return

LOS ANGELES -- It's been five years since the Los Angeles Kings selected fifth overall in 2019, their first top-five pick in a decade. 

It's been a tough five years for the player they picked at five, Alex Turcotte, whose early career was marred by injury, but the team's patience is finally paying off.

After starting the season as the team's 4C, Turcotte's shot up the lineup, playing wing on the top line. He's become an important piece on that line, the complementary winger Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe thrive with.

Turcotte isn't just a passenger though, as he showed on Saturday with a gorgeous assist to Kempe.

It's the kind of play that had scouts so excited about Turcotte in his draft year. He's a high-motor player who plays a responsible 200-foot game but is capable of high-end plays like that pass.

There was an injury scare a few weeks ago, and the fear of "here we go again" but after a short time in the press box Turcotte is back and shining.

He's been a massive part of Kempe and Kopitar's success and their numbers with Turcotte versus without him are telling.

They've seen a 7-10% increase in most underlying numbers with Turcotte on their wing and have outscored their opponents 4-1. Turcotte's been the perfect piece with LA's two stars.

"He's really complemented those guys well," said Jim Hiller on Turcotte's fit with Kopitar and Kempe. "The play he made tonight is probably the best play he's made. We haven't had a guy make that high level of a play in a while, so that's really nice to see. He's unafraid, he goes to the net with purpose like we talked about before the game. He's there, gives you everything he has, and can make a play too, like we saw tonight."

Turcotte will never be the offensive superstar you want from a top-five pick, but he's showing what a big impact he can have at the NHL level now. 

He's a genuine contributor on a top-line and showing why he's been so highly though of within the organization despite the early-career struggles.