Speculation: 2020-21 LA Kings News/Roster/Rumors Discussion Part VI

[KingsFan7824]

At the time of the Williams trade, Kopitar was 21, in his 3rd season. Brown, 24, 6th season. Doughty, 19, 1st season.

With Penner and Ricards, Kopitar was 23, in/after his 5th season. Brown, 26, in/after 8th season. Doughty, 21, in/after 3rd season.

 

[RocketKing]

Neck bulging disc is a very bad thing. Payton Manning had several surgeries until he finally had it removed and fused. I also have had that neck fusion surgery and it definitely reduces your neck mobility while putting allot more stress on the remaining discs because they have to take up the slack. No chance I’d trade for a player with that. Way too much potential for chronic lost time and possible career ending surgery.

 

[AnThGrt]

Neck bulging disc is a very bad thing. Payton Manning had several surgeries until he finally had it removed and fused. I also have had that neck fusion surgery and it definitely reduces your neck mobility while putting allot more stress on the remaining discs because they have to take up the slack. No chance I’d trade for a player with that. Way too much potential for chronic lost time and possible career ending surgery.

I broke and will never again have use of my C5, C6, C7, and T1. While I have affects of it if I truly trained again it would be a hindrance yet far from truly screw me. I severely highly doubt he f***ed his neck and body to any degree I did. Also strange comparison as Manning won a super bowl with that injury... Haven't in sometime yet still afterwards managed to play masters water polo with nearly only ex national team guys and be successful completely out of shape.

Not that I had it yet especially if you have money and an athlete doctors are insane these days. ACL or MCL used to be career enders. These days players come back stronger often from those surgeries as they clean up past damage too.

If Eichel gets a medical clear, which I believe he would I don't hesitate at all. Orange County has the #1 ranked neck surgeon in the world.

What is funny to read is how some of the same posters discuss Eichel and his injury compared to when Vilardi was questionable to ever play again. Also to him having never carried BUF.... Kopitar has only been to 6 playoffs and more missed season than Eichel so safe to say I guess he sucks too? Similarly guess S. Yzerman too as took him until his late 20s to ever take DET to the playoffs. How about MacKinnon who 4 yrs barely managed 60 pts if that and missed 3 of his first 4 yrs outside of his rookie yr. Who cares what happened once Kopitar, Yzerman, or MacKinnon had teams to help them because they suck for not carrying their teams right away and every year to the playoffs right?!??

 

[tomd]

I say no to Laine - the Kings need a #2 center...and no to Eichel, given the cost and neck injury.

I say sign Athanasiou - can skate, score (in a variety of ways - where many Kings dont!) and even drop the gloves.
Why not sign AA and get another 2nd tier player like him, that will not cost a ton in a deal / sign.
With AA and Kempe being legit 20 goal scorers, especially with a good center, find a good center.

I think Brown will not be 1st line next year. Hoping Fagemo or Kupari are ready to make it.
I bet they are hoping for 2 of the 7 to take a spot: Byfield, Kupari, Fagemo, Turcotte, Madden, Kaliyev, Thomas.

I hope Vilardi finishes strong. I think depending where he's at by end of the season,
will possibly dictate what they do.

If Blake's plan for the summer is to hope that 2 of the 7 names you mentioned (who have a combined total of 1 NHL goal) fill in top 6 slots next year then he should be fired tomorrow morning.

 

[Schmooley]

If Blake's plan for the summer is to hope that 2 of the 7 names you mentioned (who have a combined total of 1 NHL goal) fill in top 6 slots next year then he should be fired tomorrow morning.

You prefer giving rookies 1 game in the nhl on the 4th line next to guys like amadio lizotte and luff? Put the kids in a position to succeed and see what you have. Do you even like the kings? Kaliyev scored a goal in his one game playing next to amadio and kupari looked like anderson dolan in his first call up. 4th line minutes while working on his two way game terrified to make a mistake.

 

[tomd]

You prefer giving rookies 1 game in the nhl on the 4th line next to guys like amadio lizotte and luff? Put the kids in a position to succeed and see what you have. Do you even like the kings?

How about making them earn their position instead of gifting it to them? What is Plan B if training camp breaks and it is clear they aren't ready? Blake needs to find real NHL players to fill top 6 holes this summer. A team can always find a place for a rookie who is ready but none of the 7 guys mentioned above show any signs that they are ready to contribute in a full-time top 6 role as early as next season. I'm shocked this is controversial. This is straight from "How to be a GM 101". Blake has been here 4 years now and hasn't traded for a single top 6 forward or top 4 defenseman. According to his own plan, this is the summer to start getting better.

 

[Peter James Bond III]

If Blake's plan for the summer is to hope that 2 of the 7 names you mentioned (who have a combined total of 1 NHL goal) fill in top 6 slots next year then he should be fired tomorrow morning.

I agree. I didn't say they would fill 2 of the top 6 spots. They could be line 3 players. Blake said the plan is to 'get better' and that means acquiring / signing talent, that makes the
team better.

I do think, they would certainly want to get 1 or 2 of the 7 talented forwards on the team for next season. I mention Fagemo and Kupari, as they are older and have both
played against men 3 years now. Nelson Emerson said those 2 showed the ability to handle the AHL, more than the others, from the start and it was because they both
played against men in Europe. The Kings have no problem, graduating 2 kids a year...like Mikey Anderson / Bjornfot / Clague ...it's just that there are no forwards ready
and I think a few of them will be ready for the coming season. It's still "you have to take someone's job" kind of thing, of course. But I think the Lizottes / Wagners jobs
could be taken. Grunstrom still has to win his job, I think as well. I still think Brown will not be top 6 next yr.

 

[KopitarFAN]

You prefer giving rookies 1 game in the nhl on the 4th line next to guys like amadio lizotte and luff? Put the kids in a position to succeed and see what you have. Do you even like the kings? Kaliyev scored a goal in his one game playing next to amadio and kupari looked like anderson dolan in his first call up. 4th line minutes while working on his two way game terrified to make a mistake.

I think you're missing the point, Blake has been very clear about upgrading the roster this summer, so we shouldn't expect 2-3 kids to occupy Top 6 spots, unless that means they found the Top 4 LHD. Even then, there appears to be a window where they could add another high dollar center, because the Kopitar deal will expire at the same time as the Byfield ELC.

 

[Schmooley]

How about making them earn their position instead of gifting it to them? What is Plan B if training camp breaks and it is clear they aren't ready? Blake needs to find real NHL players to fill top 6 holes this summer. A team can always find a place for a rookie who is ready but none of the 7 guys mentioned above show any signs that they are ready to contribute in a full-time top 6 role as early as next season. I'm shocked this is controversial. This is straight from "How to be a GM 101". Blake has been here 4 years now and hasn't traded for a single top 6 forward or top 4 defenseman. According to his own plan, this is the summer to start getting better.

I think you're missing the point, Blake has been very clear about upgrading the roster this summer, so we shouldn't expect 2-3 kids to occupy Top 6 spots, unless that means they found the Top 4 LHD. Even then, there appears to be a window where they could add another high dollar center, because the Kopitar deal will expire at the same time as the Byfield ELC.

Giving high draft picks a shot in the top six isnt gifting them anything especially after they have spent time in the ahl. Stutzle hughes lafreniere kakko etc. went straight to the top six without earning it by playing 4th line minutes with mediocre linemates.
I agree they need to look at trading or signing better players but at the same time if 0 of their draft picks can grab a top six spot they are in deep deep trouble.

 

[Mats26]

I broke and will never again have use of my C5, C6, C7, and T1. While I have affects of it if I truly trained again it would be a hindrance yet far from truly screw me. I severely highly doubt he f***ed his neck and body to any degree I did. Also strange comparison as Manning won a super bowl with that injury... Haven't in sometime yet still afterwards managed to play masters water polo with nearly only ex national team guys and be successful completely out of shape.

Not that I had it yet especially if you have money and an athlete doctors are insane these days. ACL or MCL used to be career enders. These days players come back stronger often from those surgeries as they clean up past damage too.

If Eichel gets a medical clear, which I believe he would I don't hesitate at all. Orange County has the #1 ranked neck surgeon in the world.

What is funny to read is how some of the same posters discuss Eichel and his injury compared to when Vilardi was questionable to ever play again. Also to him having never carried BUF.... Kopitar has only been to 6 playoffs and more missed season than Eichel so safe to say I guess he sucks too? Similarly guess S. Yzerman too as took him until his late 20s to ever take DET to the playoffs. How about MacKinnon who 4 yrs barely managed 60 pts if that and missed 3 of his first 4 yrs outside of his rookie yr. Who cares what happened once Kopitar, Yzerman, or MacKinnon had teams to help them because they suck for not carrying their teams right away and every year to the playoffs right?!??

Jacks's injury is a concern right now. I think all GMs interested in his services are concerned. He is scheduled for surgery and no team will want to offer the rumored 4 x 1rd picks unless his medicals come back 100% ready to play. I don't see the Kings on this until he is ready for NHL action.

On the player comparisions:
Kopitar was dominate in pts totals for a player's first 5 years in the league. He is up there with Malkin and Ovi as one of the best. He also won a cup before 25 and another in 2014. He was a player we built around and led the team to contention.

Comparing Yzerman, a HOF is laughable. Ignore the awards, cups, and performances, he was a true leader and anyone who thinks he isn't doesn't know hockey.

McKinnon(25) has probably been a top 3 player in the world for a least 2 years and is going on a cup run this year.

Eichel is 25 in October. What leadership has he proven so far? He's an elite player, center you can build around but can he lead a team through a cup run? Can he be the one player that can turn around our misery? He needs alot of support around him, good players, vets, etc... and after the trade, what are we left with to surround him with? I would inquire but if it depletes our prospect pool and fills our cap space from adding more pieces, not sure our misery won't last only to appease certain fans who want a young star forward to watch because our team is desperately boring.

 

[tomd]

Giving high draft picks a shot in the top six isnt gifting them anything especially after they have spent time in the ahl. Stutzle hughes lafreniere kakko etc. went straight to the top six without earning it by playing 4th line minutes with mediocre linemates.
I agree they need to look at trading or signing better players but at the same time if 0 of their draft picks can grab a top six spot they are in deep deep trouble.

And it is no coincidence that Ottawa (Stutzle) and NJ (Hughes) are two of the worst organizations in the league. The NYR took a different path...they actually have added legitimate talent like Panerin and Trouba to their roster while mixing in the kids. Time will tell whether Kakko and Lafreniere would have benefitted from more time in the AHL but I suspect they would have. Having said that, the NYR have come a tremendous way in the last 2 years...they should be the model for how LA does their rebuild. Instead, Blake seems to want to emulate the Buffalo/Detroit/Ottawa/NJ model.

The last sentence in your post should be a cautionary note to rebuild fans everywhere.

 

[KingsFan7824]

And it is no coincidence that Ottawa (Stutzle) and NJ (Hughes) are two of the worst organizations in the league. The NYR took a different path...they actually have added legitimate talent like Panerin and Trouba to their roster while mixing in the kids. Time will tell whether Kakko and Lafreniere would have benefitted from more time in the AHL but I suspect they would have. Having said that, the NYR have come a tremendous way in the last 2 years...they should be the model for how LA does their rebuild. Instead, Blake seems to want to emulate the Buffalo/Detroit/Ottawa/NJ model.

The last sentence in your post should be a cautionary note to rebuild fans everywhere.

Panarin and Trouba specifically wanted to go to the Rangers. It didn't matter if they were ready made contenders or not. Trouba because of his wife, and Panarin because he wanted big city life, and in terms of money, travel, etc, it's still NY as the #1 destination, and that's probably not changing soon. Fox wanted to go to the Rangers. You can't model yourself after the Rangers. Just like too many teams can't compare fan bases to the Leafs. It's still a religion in Toronto, and fans and media live and die with every little detail. Other than Montreal, where else do you get that? You don't even get that in O6 cities in the US.

But, as has been discussed, context means nothing, so you better be the Rangers, no matter what city or time zone you play in.

 

[tomd]

Panarin and Trouba specifically wanted to go to the Rangers. It didn't matter if they were ready made contenders or not. Trouba because of his wife, and Panarin because he wanted big city life, and in terms of money, travel, etc, it's still NY as the #1 destination, and that's probably not changing soon. Fox wanted to go to the Rangers. You can't model yourself after the Rangers. Just like too many teams can't compare fan bases to the Leafs. It's still a religion in Toronto, and fans and media live and die with every little detail. Other than Montreal, where else do you get that? You don't even get that in O6 cities in the US.

But, as has been discussed, context means nothing, so you better be the Rangers, no matter what city or time zone you play in.

I understand the NYR situation. LA has the same situation for basketball and baseball and football. Why not hockey?

The bigger point, however, is that the NYR were determined to make their team better. They didn't HAVE to trade for Trouba or sign Panerin. Nothing forced them to do it. But they didn't want to take the Buffalo/Ottawa/Detroit/NJ rebuild route. Trading for Fox was a shrewd move taking advantage of Carolina's misfortune. I wonder if Blake will be smart enough to do that this summer as other teams struggle with the flat cap and the expansion draft. The opportunities will be there. And he has the bargaining chips as well...picks, prospects, and plenty of cap space. If Blake can't use the next 3 months to fill some significant holes then ownership should seriously look to replace him. Assuming, of course, that ownership wants a winning franchise.

 

[tbrown33]

I understand the NYR situation. LA has the same situation for basketball and baseball and football. Why not hockey?

I’m not sure why this is even being asked. Hockey players are basically anonymous in LA. Not the same as being a Laker or Dodger.

 

[King'sPawn]

.

What is funny to read is how some of the same posters discuss Eichel and his injury compared to when Vilardi was questionable to ever play again. Also to him having never carried BUF.... Kopitar has only been to 6 playoffs and more missed season than Eichel so safe to say I guess he sucks too? Similarly guess S. Yzerman too as took him until his late 20s to ever take DET to the playoffs. How about MacKinnon who 4 yrs barely managed 60 pts if that and missed 3 of his first 4 yrs outside of his rookie yr. Who cares what happened once Kopitar, Yzerman, or MacKinnon had teams to help them because they suck for not carrying their teams right away and every year to the playoffs right?!??

Here's the difference between Vilardi and Eichel.

Kings were going forward, with or without Vilardi recovering. They could be patient.

If they trade for Eichel, the Kings would be hitching their wagon to him, his ability to recover quickly enough, and his ability to carry the team.

Patience with Vilardi, if it failed, was the potential loss of a first round pick.

Trade for Eichel and he doesn't recover, and you lose 3-4 valuable players plus time/resources you spent developing them.

 

[tbrown33]

Here's the difference between Vilardi and Eichel.

Kings were going forward, with or without Vilardi recovering. They could be patient.

If they trade for Eichel, the Kings would be hitching their wagon to him, his ability to recover quickly enough, and his ability to carry the team.

Patience with Vilardi, if it failed, was the potential loss of a first round pick.

Trade for Eichel and he doesn't recover, and you lose 3-4 valuable players plus time/resources you spent developing them.

Yeah I mean it’s a ridiculous comp. Vilardi was already on the team on an ELC. Eichel requires a massive payment and 10 mill towards your cap. Incredibly different scenarios.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I understand the NYR situation. LA has the same situation for basketball and baseball and football. Why not hockey?

The bigger point, however, is that the NYR were determined to make their team better. They didn't HAVE to trade for Trouba or sign Panerin. Nothing forced them to do it. But they didn't want to take the Buffalo/Ottawa/Detroit/NJ rebuild route. Trading for Fox was a shrewd move taking advantage of Carolina's misfortune. I wonder if Blake will be smart enough to do that this summer as other teams struggle with the flat cap and the expansion draft. The opportunities will be there. And he has the bargaining chips as well...picks, prospects, and plenty of cap space. If Blake can't use the next 3 months to fill some significant holes then ownership should seriously look to replace him. Assuming, of course, that ownership wants a winning franchise.

I asked you this elsewhere and you dodged it:

how can you say LA is doing the Buffalo rebuild when they're retaining Kopitar/Doughty/Quick?

Buffalo/Edmonton/Ottawa/Detroit are all scorched earth, throw the kids into the fire, "hey draft pick you're the new 1C" rebuilds. If anything, LA slow cooks possibly too long. What's the comparison, especially given the chief complaint around here is that we are retaining vets?

 

[funky]

So if Blake skips Eichel and lands Landeskog and a few minor signings this summer is that considered a win or a fail as Left Defence was not addressed. Just wondering everyone’s expectations?

 

[Peter James Bond III]

So if Blake skips Eichel and lands Landeskog and a few minor signings this summer is that considered a win or a fail as Left Defence was not addressed. Just wondering everyone’s expectations?

2C is a monumental hole....1 LHD is second, but even if the Kings got Dahlin or even a Eckholm, they go nowhere, without first addressing 2c.

The Kings won cups with Kopitar, Carter, Richards, Stoll down the middle and 1 LHD was who?
They had DD at 1 RHD and Muzzin was part of LHD for the 2014 cup, but cannot even recall who DD was paired with for 2012.
They had Mitchell, Scuderi, Greene, Martinez, Voynov...not even Muzz in 2012. No awesome, true #1 LHD in the bunch. #2C is the biggest hole. I think they cannot
pencil in Vilardi or Byfield there, for next season...unless, Gabe just kills it the rest of this season, which I don't see happening.

 

[KingsFan7824]

I understand the NYR situation. LA has the same situation for basketball and baseball and football. Why not hockey?

The bigger point, however, is that the NYR were determined to make their team better. They didn't HAVE to trade for Trouba or sign Panerin. Nothing forced them to do it. But they didn't want to take the Buffalo/Ottawa/Detroit/NJ rebuild route. Trading for Fox was a shrewd move taking advantage of Carolina's misfortune. I wonder if Blake will be smart enough to do that this summer as other teams struggle with the flat cap and the expansion draft. The opportunities will be there. And he has the bargaining chips as well...picks, prospects, and plenty of cap space. If Blake can't use the next 3 months to fill some significant holes then ownership should seriously look to replace him. Assuming, of course, that ownership wants a winning franchise.

Why not hockey? Because it's hockey. Gretzky made hockey cool in LA. Crosby would. McDavid would. It has to be that level of player though. Winning the Cup made it kind of cool.

If you don't have to do any work to get a player, you're going to get the player. If someone specifically wanted to be a King, they'd be here. Kopitar didn't mind staying. Doughty didn't mind staying. They're not going to count in this equation though. Would either of them have come here of their own volition? Gaborik didn't. Chara didn't. Gomez didn't. B.Richards didn't. Drury didn't. Kovalchuk didn't. Gaborik eventually stayed, with a bad contract. Kovalchuk eventually came, with a bad contract in his mid 30's.

The Rangers getting Fox wasn't them taking advantage of the Hurricanes misfortune. That was a player specifically wanting to go there. There was no bidding war between teams. That's not the same thing as trying to navigate the cap and expansion draft.

Again, you confidently say the opportunities will be there. You have no idea what players will or will not be available. Maybe the guys you think will be available won't be, without overpayment. Maybe no overpayment will be required. The point is, you don't know. Nobody outside an office of an NHL team knows.

You can try and force the Rangers and Kings to be equivalent in some way, if for no other reason than to trash the Kings/Blake, but they're just not the same. There's nobody begging to be a King. Ever. I'm sure it has to do with the Kings historic ineptness as a franchise, but even after the Cups, nobody cares. Other than guys that were already here. The Rangers haven't won anything in a while, and only 1 Cup in 80 years, but from top NHL free agents, to top college free agents, everyone always wants to go there. Even if they don't win. How many guys willingly went there post-1997? Year after year, they sucked, but big names poured in.

 

[Docgonzo]

I understand the NYR situation. LA has the same situation for basketball and baseball and football. Why not hockey?

The bigger point, however, is that the NYR were determined to make their team better. They didn't HAVE to trade for Trouba or sign Panerin. Nothing forced them to do it. But they didn't want to take the Buffalo/Ottawa/Detroit/NJ rebuild route. Trading for Fox was a shrewd move taking advantage of Carolina's misfortune. I wonder if Blake will be smart enough to do that this summer as other teams struggle with the flat cap and the expansion draft. The opportunities will be there. And he has the bargaining chips as well...picks, prospects, and plenty of cap space. If Blake can't use the next 3 months to fill some significant holes then ownership should seriously look to replace him. Assuming, of course, that ownership wants a winning franchise.

It’s not just LA, it’s that for some reason hockey players don’t like the west coast. In all the years of San Jose, Vancouver, Anaheim and LA being good they never had big name free agent signings. But yet hockey players will quickly jump at east coast teams no matter status of the franchise.

 

[bland]

Guessing that the same cast of characters who misunderstood the necessity of the rebuild are the ones trying to abandon its ship just as it left the dock.

Eichel would be a massive mistake. Yes, you suffer in the early years of a rebuild as kids break in and struggle. No, you don't fill the gaps with big deals while you are waiting. Yes, you sign lesser players to shorter term deals even though they have minimal impact. Yes, sometimes role players develop earlier - but you don't hold them responsible for not being the stars.

Its going to be a long trip and we are barely a quarter of the way through it. Sit back, note and learn to enjoy the progress and it will be rewarding. That is our lot in hockey life, and every single attempt mentioned here to speed up the process is only going to hurt the end goal.

 

[AzKing]

I highly doubt that Blake sits on his hands after the season. The Kings have made some marginal improvements but they are also sitting in an area where they are hoping to have several prospects hit and that can easily turn you into a forever rebuilding team. That said, you don't sell half your assets for one player. I would expect him to kick the tires on Eichel/Laine and some others and he may dangle Turcotte/Vilardi and the pick to get an elite guy. I'd personally rather have an elite Defenseman than another forward especially if they are putting the first rounder in play from a draft that has an abundance of top D prospects and we are most likely going to be a top 10 picking team.

He won't trade Byfield though. The ceiling is just so high on him that they have to play it out. Doubt that they be moving Bjornfort because he just slots in perfect. Same with Roy. It would take a lot to move Kaliyev because we don't have an abundance of elite scoring wingers. I doubt that he would lose any sleep over packaging Kupari in a deal.

Something is going to happen. They have to see what the market is though. For some reason, I keep thinking that the Kings are going to make a play for Vince Dunn. He is a "Buy Low" guy right now and the cost would be a fraction of what a bigger name would cost.

 

[tomd]

I asked you this elsewhere and you dodged it:

how can you say LA is doing the Buffalo rebuild when they're retaining Kopitar/Doughty/Quick?

Buffalo/Edmonton/Ottawa/Detroit are all scorched earth, throw the kids into the fire, "hey draft pick you're the new 1C" rebuilds. If anything, LA slow cooks possibly too long. What's the comparison, especially given the chief complaint around here is that we are retaining vets?

Actually I'm so glad you asked the question. I actually think my answer has been pretty consistent since 2018.

My answer is I have no idea why they're doing what they're doing.

Unlike Buffalo/Edmonton/Ottawa/Detroit/NJ, the Kings started this "rebuild" with 5 (now 4) virtually untradeable (for different reasons) players who combined for over $35 million in cap space. They were also arguably their best players talent-wise. And except for the ill-fated signing of Kovalchuk, Blake has done nothing in the past 4 years to try to improve upon that base of players. Instead, his every move has looked exactly what a 5-7 year rebuild would look like. Jettison veterans for draft picks and "slow cook" them.

The confusing result is that the team is wasting the talent and money of 4 very highly paid players while waiting (and hoping) that a bunch of teenagers can replace them. The ONLY thing I can figure is that this really is a Buffalo/Edmonton/Ottawa/Detroit/NJ 5-7 year rebuild and Blake/Luc/ownership is afraid to say that. Their plan really is to trade Doughty and Kopitar when feasible; let Brown retire; and probably buy-out Quick. Nothing else makes sense at this point.

This is why I've been against the rebuild from the start. It should have been a retool. Three years later the Kings should have been fine-tuned (not gutted) and been competing for a playoff spot.

Either way we'll know if my prediction above is accurate if Blake does nothing significant to improve the roster this summer. Then I predict he will trade Kopitar and Doughty over the next two years (if possible) and the team will enter Buffalo/Edmonton/Ottawa/Detroit/NJ rebuild futility.

 

[Fishhead]

2C is a monumental hole....1 LHD is second, but even if the Kings got Dahlin or even a Eckholm, they go nowhere, without first addressing 2c.

The Kings won cups with Kopitar, Carter, Richards, Stoll down the middle and 1 LHD was who?
They had DD at 1 RHD and Muzzin was part of LHD for the 2014 cup, but cannot even recall who DD was paired with for 2012.
They had Mitchell, Scuderi, Greene, Martinez, Voynov...not even Muzz in 2012. No awesome, true #1 LHD in the bunch. #2C is the biggest hole. I think they cannot
pencil in Vilardi or Byfield there, for next season...unless, Gabe just kills it the rest of this season, which I don't see happening.

I think the good thing for the Kings is that their 1LD doesn't have to be a true 1LD because they play with Doughty. I would argue that you wouldn't want that caliber of player next to Drew anyways, and what would suit their needs better is an anchor for the 2nd line. You could argue that Mitchell was a #1D level guy, but he's really a top-tier 2nd line guy, which is what the team needs. Voynov fell into that mold, along with Muzzin. Scuderi was an average 2nd line guy, but he's a good fit with Doughty because of DD's style. Greene is a perfect 3rd.

Maybe Bjornfot turns into that and then we slot someone in on the right, but with Clague seemingly able to play both sides, rolling:

Anderson-Doughty
Bjornfot-Add
Clague-Roy

Would be pretty solid going forward, even damn good. Strand is still around and could step up, and Grans/Faber could end up being world beaters, but I think adding would be more prudent than being patient with the defense. I think it's more important than the 2C to be honest, simply because the team would win more games resulting in a more positive environment.