1. The two players are close enough so that my final decision might depend on which player would better complement the other players on my team.
2. I don't think it was clear-cut on draft day who to pick.
3. Since then both players have done all you could ask for them in their development.
4. The fear by some teams, including the team I support who I wish had picked AZ, that AZ was a risk due to his home country, appears to be unfounded, by both AZ's performance in the SEL and his performance in LAK camp.
5. I would go with Kopitar for three reasons, and I am not an LAK fan.
a. Whenever you can get a center with good reach WHO IS ALSO A GOOD STICKHANDLER and is defensively responsible, I think you need to seriously consider him.
b. Brule is more likely to sustain injuries due to his style and size, both serious take-a-chunk-out-of-the-season injuries and a string of minor nagging injuries that will not sideline him but pull down his level of play. Both categories of injuries will likely take a toll of his play for years after they are suffered. We may never see the "real GB" in the NHL for any length of time. Any player can be injured, but I would not want to wager my franchise on Brule's health.
c. Kopitar is almost 8 months younger than Brule. That makes his level of development at this point even more impressive, and gives us reason to think his upside potential is even higher than we think. Brule in effect has over a six month head start in physical development and skill development.