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Report: Kings' Matt Greene out for season with back injury

The Kings' Matt Greene is likely out for the season with a back injury. (Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

The Kings' Matt Greene is likely out for the season with a back injury. (Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

In a major early-season blow to the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings, top defenseman Matt Greene is "probably out for the season," the Los Angeles Times' Lisa Dillman reported via Twitter.

Greene suffered a back injury during the Kings' opening 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday at the Staples Center. Los Angeles GM Dean Lombardi wrote in an email to Dillman that he would be "out for the year probably."

Greene, an alternate captain for Los Angeles, was the team's cornerstone defenseman. In parts of eight seasons with the Kings and Edmonton Oilers, he has racked up 11 goals and 52 assists in 462 NHL games.

The Kings' official website reported Monday night that the team has recalled  defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk from the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League. The 24-year-old Bodnarchuk has not played in the NHL since the 2009-10 season with the Boston Bruins.