An update of every 1st and 2nd round pick the Kings have had under Blake
2017 1st - Vilardi (2nd line RW)
2017 2nd - JAD (Fringe NHL'er)
2018 1st - Kupari (4th line center)
2018 2nd - Thomas (AHL depth, no NHL upside)
2019 1st - Turcotte (AHL'er, some NHL games, bottom six upside)
2019 1st - Bjornfot (NHL/AHL tweener, waiver eligible this year, 3rd pair upside)
2019 2nd - Kaliyev (4th liner, scoring line upside, but buried in the rushed rebuild))
2019 2nd - Fagemo (AHL'er, some NHL games, waiver eligible this year, bottom six upside)
2020 1st - Byfield (8 goals in 100 career games, upside debate rages on)
2020 2nd - Grans (AHL'er) TRADED
2020 2nd - Faber (elite def prospect, some NHL games, 1st pair upside) TRADED
2021 1st - Clarke (elite def prospect, some NHL games, 1st pair upside)
2021 2nd - Pinelli (good OHL season, bottom six upside)
2022 1st- TRADED
2022 2nd - Hughes (had a dreadful season and transferred, limited upside)
2023 1st - TRADED
2023 2nd - TBD
2024 2nd now also traded
Blake did an ok job cleaning up his own messes in Walker and CP. With what the Kings have decided to do (and maybe what their horrific draft results forced them to do) this is a good trade. The Kings strategy since 2021 was clearly to win in this 2-4 year window that they had with 11 and 8 as useful players. Every single move made from the summer of 2021 to now has been to win immediately, and has resulted in 0 series wins so far, as Kopitar enters his age 36 season, as the teams best player for the 18th straight season.
How can people still think the Kings are trying to build for the future while also trying to contend? It's one or the other in the NHL. Look at those names above, look at the results, how can anyone think this team is going to be anything but awful once Kopitar and Doughty really start to fall off?
One area I will give Blake credit for, once Kopitar and Doughty do fall off, which will be anywhere from 0-2 (maybe 3 years), he, or whoever the GM is at the time will be set-up nicely with Fiala and Kempe's full NMC's expiring, the Kings will be able to trade both of them as well as Vilardi (who's age probably prevents him from being a piece after the next tear down) for pieces for the next rebuild.