Yes, 10 million dollars a year to groom rookies. It's almost like if you have a player that good you can maybe fortify a position of weakness since Kopitar isn't going to be around when the Kings become competitive.
You make it sound like I'm saying get rid of a random vet.
No. I wish you said get rid of a random vet. Because then it could be argued if it was a middling player, like Maatta, that the youth would be competing to replace him.
Nobody can competently play Kopitar's role - a No. 1 center.
So trading a player just to get value means you still need to fill his role. That means:
- putting in a player who can't fill it, setting them up to fail
- forcing a rookie to do it, setting them up to fail
- overspending on free agency to get someone to fill the spot.
The Kings don't need to throw more quality vets away. They need their youth to develop and take over.
It's the same as with Carter. If your youth couldn't replace him, then you have bigger problems to address before worrying about trading him.
Even with youth capable of filling in the voids after trading Muzzin, Martinez, etc, they're still a mess defensively. Luckily Doughty can carry the top pair. Trade Kopitar, and you have less of a top line than what you have now, and nobody to carry it.
Trading Kopitar means you are trying to make the team worse and you want to kick start a rebuild inside the rebuild you already have.
The youth is outplaying Carter now. Trade him. This is the process I've been advocating.
To play devil's advocate, since I, well, advocated dealing Kopitar prior to his deal, who mentored him? Armstrong? A few months of Conroy?
Brown had a waning Robitaille, a year of Demitra, a couple of players slightly older in Frolov and Cammalleri to carry the burden, and a bridge protector in Thornton.
Doughty had Kyle Quincey leading the offense from the back and another bridge vet in O'Donnell to mind the gaps.
I guess my point is that there isn't just one right way and different players will need different support in order to find comfort.
We have had limited opportunities to get to know these kids thus far, and this is strictly my opinion, but Turcotte could likely benefit from a grizzled vet with strong leadership skills who has experience going from balls out 24/7 to knowing when a more measured approach is required. And no, I don't mean Brown as his hockey character is lacking.
Byfield may need more fire and brimstone than a settle-down influence. Someone that allows him to fully explore his ability instead of containing it. Not Kopitar. At all. I am actually fairly worried that prolonged exposure to Kopitar's good-not-great attitude is going to neuter some of these kids before their balls fully drop. Kopitar is one of the eras greatest pure hockey players, but just as I said ten years ago, his ability to "lead" from the passenger side is a myth. Brilliant player who deserves and commands respect, but not the sort of personality who inspires others.
I propose a series of older bridge players on shorter term deals, 3 years at most, to insulate the transition. No more fliers on skilled guys, bring in nothing but dudes with battle scars, war stories, a willingness to actually defend the kids and not JUST the vets, and fully realize that the key to the next contender in LA comes from Byfield and Turcotte, not Kopitar and Doughty.
Then-rookies Kopitar/Doughty/etc had plenty of different personalities and influences to help mold them. However, Kopitar and Doughty were talented enough to take in the roles, or integrate themselves into that role, fairly quickly. Mostly because Kopitar and Doughty didn't have a "Kopitar and Doughty" already on the team to replace and supplant.
I'm not saying keep Kopitar to foster a competitive/run through the wall attitude. We both know he's not that type of player. But he's a player with attention to detail, self-accountability as far as his role on the ice, and not seeing himself above playing a defensive game.
You need your top players to show those soft skills, as well as helping teach Byfield how he, as a player of similar size, can incorporate using his body and mechanics to protect and move the puck. Kopitar had to learn most of that himself or from lesser skilled players - that doesn't mean the Kings should expect the next wave to do the same.
I'm not opposed to bringing in grizzled vets, or vets with an attitude/toughness. I know it's not popular, but that's a part of the culture MacDermid brings, though again, he needs to be on the lower scale of ice time. He still brings that intensity to his game. I also wish the Kings re-signed Clifford.
Byfield, Turcotte, Anderson, Bjornfot, etc will be the next wave on the Kings if they own it. It has to come from them. Just like how it had to come from Pearson, Toffoli, Forbort. None of them stepped up to be more than settling into a role. If they don't own it, then frankly none of this matters, whether Kopitar is traded or not.
