One of the most frequent questions involving the Kings has to do with the medical condition of their highly touted prospect, playmaking forward Gabe Vilardi.



Lingering back issues have prevented the youngster from gaining much momentum since the Kings selected him in the first round (11th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft. But there is, finally, some encouraging news emerging from Vilardi’s camp.



Restrained optimism might be the best way to describe it.



“Things are progressing,” said Octagon Hockey’s Andy Scott, who is Vilardi’s agent. “With any injury, especially involving your back, it takes time to recover. He’s working through that. He’s doing a lot of mobility stuff.



“We think he’s going to make a full recovery.”



To that end, Vilardi has been spending the bulk of the summer in Ottawa, working with experts, and there has been an improvement in his condition, according to...