King was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League in the seventh round (212th overall) of the 2001 Entry Draft, after having played 3 seasons for the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL. He found some success playing with twin brothers Henrik and Daniel Sedin in his first full season with the team, registering 12 goals in 2003–04, the bulk of which came in the team's first few games. This led him to being awarded the NHL Rookie of the Month award for the month of November. The line quickly earned the nickname "The Mattress Line," due to its members figuratively composing "two twins and a king." He spent the 2004–05 season playing for Vancouver's then-AHL affiliates, the Manitoba Moose, where he suffered a serious concussion - one that took him many months to recover from.