Kings' Mitchell had setback from knee surgery

Veteran defenseman Willie Mitchell has missed the first two days of training camp for the Los Angeles Kings because he had a setback after a previously unreported knee surgery, reported Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times.

Kings coach Darryl Sutter mentioned the surgery to reporters, and general manager Dean Lombardi told Dillman it was to fix a cartilage issue and there was no ligament damage. Mitchell was a key figure in the Kings' remarkable run to a Stanley Cup title last season, especially logging heavy minutes for a stout penalty-killing unit.

There is no timetable for his return.

Dillman reported the team's other key injured player, top-line center Anze Kopitar, skated on his own Monday with a brace on his knee. Kopitar is expected to miss the start of the season with the knee injury, which occurred just before the end of the lockout while he was playing in Sweden.