The Kings, who were hosting the Edmonton Oilers at Staples Center on Sunday, begin a three-game through Western Canada at the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. They will visit the Oilers on Thursday and the Calgary Flames on Friday.
"I think we'll get him back somewhere along that road trip]," Desjardins said of his No. 1 goaltender.
In remarks published Friday, Desjardins
[told L.A. Kings Insider
that "we're very happy with where he's at. If there's no setbacks, then I would expect to see him fairly soon in the lineup.
"I can't get you [an exact date] because every day it's kind of a building thing, but we're very happy with his progress.
After surgery Oct. 30, the Kings said Quick would be out 3-6 weeks (Saturday was almost four weeks). He has not played since making 19 saves in a 4-2 loss at the Dallas Stars on Oct. 23 and has missed 12 games.
The 32-year-old was 0-3-1 with a 4.55 goals-against average and .845 save percentage in four games. He missed five games with a lower-body injury sustained during practice Oct. 6.
After going through a full practice Friday, Quick worked out on his own for about 30 minutes following the morning skate Saturday, when Los Angeles goalie coach Bill Ranford and two players were taking shots at him.
A third-round pick (No. 72) in the 2005 NHL Draft, Quick is 293-198-57 in 560 games over 12 seasons with Los Angeles.
Veteran Peter Budaj and rookie Cal Petersen are the Kings goalies. Jack Campbell, recalled by the Kings from Ontario of the American Hockey League, played 13 games before sustaining a meniscus tear in a 1-0 loss to the Calgary Flames on Nov. 10.
"It's been a battle, especially with the goaltenders going down first," Desjardins said. "I think that was a tough one. Quick, he's such a big part of the room and is a leader, so it's good that he's going to be coming back soon."
NHL.com correspondent Dan Greenspan contributed to this report
