Let kopitar walk because he doesn't sign a sweetheart deal--then pray you find another top-10 NHL center in the next 20 years.
Let Doughty walk because he'll probably command a high salary but he ain't getting younger--then pray we get another d-man like him sometime in franchise history.
Let Brown walk after beastmoding the team and captaining them to their first championship in years.
Let Gaborik walk after scoring 14 goals en route to our second cup.
So, who do you pay, and how do you replace them, keeping in mind guys like Doughty and Kopitar aren't exactly dime-a-dozen players and there are teams who have rebuilt for a decade that haven't found guys to take their mantles? BUt I guess at least they have cap space/money...
All I see is advocation of an endless cycle of HOPEFULLY boom and certain bust, hoping you make trades for youngsters and hit your lottery picks--but when it comes time to pay those picks, let them walk because they're too pricey and start over.
Letting a player walk isn't the only option. And you're being a bit dramatic to think the Kings won't trade or draft another top 10 center for 20 years.
Hockey is a business, the players are commodities and if you are a good businessman, you sell high. You keep your company top 10, a winning company.
GM's that are smart, do sell high. DL could have opted to trade Kopi in 2015, and as he would never have been more valuable. He could have been objective and looked into the future, stats and other wise, and realized that Kopi will not be as good or productive over the next 6 yrs as he's been over the past 6. He could have netted a top young center, a top prospect and a number pick. But I think DL thought that Kopi would move on dollar and term , so he elected to wait it out. Kopi had no intention of moving, he put his number out there and drew a line in the sand and never budged. DL has a top 2 way center who over the next few years, should be a 20 goal, 50 pt player. And if he had a young top #2 line center, about 24 or so, or one 18 or 19 in the pipleline, that might work. But he didn't have that and knew it. It was not a good choice. Unless he has a grand plan this summer to make some big moves and get that young center (moving Carter to wing) but he doesn't have the assets for that because of the bad trades he's made over the last 2 years. Holding onto the past.
WHat makes you think Doughty will want to sign in LA? Two years from now, they will not be a top team and there will be teams younger and more skilled who are Cupi contenders., the Leafs for one. DD is gonna want his money, it's his home run deal. So hopefully , DL recognizes that and sells high, the year before.
He is too emotionally connected, they aren't his 'kids' and the fact he won't cut the cord on some of them, (King, Cliiford, Lewis, Nolan, ec, 'guys that got us there') is hurting this team.
Gabby should not have been given an LTC for that length as a reward for goals scored that year. That was a high risk, low reward deal and a bad choice for a player historically that is very injury prone and older.
Brown was both rewarded and DL had no way of knowing that Brown would turn 30 and decline that badly. He's played well this year, but those 38 pts or so he'll get do not merit 5.8M. He's a 30 pt player, on average. But that's water under the bridge now. Brown isn't going anywhere and the team has to eat that CAP loss and try to offset it by getting younger cheaper players.
There are options...he has to realize the errors of his ways and build a better mousetrap going forward. It not very smart to have 5 players on LTC's in their 30's. Which is the price he's paid for heart over head decisions.
