Kings' Derek Forbort: Moving forward following abdominal issue

Forbort underwent abdominal surgery after the NHL draft in late June, though he's expected to be fully healthy for the start of training camp, Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider reports.

Analysis:

Forbort may have fought off the ab injury, but more hurdles lie ahead for the inexperienced blueliner. A spot on the opening-night roster is no guarantee, and he'll have to fend off similarly talented rearguards just to fit on the bottom pair, including, but not limited to: Matt Greene, Zach Trotman and Tom Gilbert. There's plenty of upside with Forbort; the Kings snagged him with the 15th overall pick of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but the hulky 24-year-old needs to carve out a full-time role before he can be considered in non-keeper formats.