In this edition of the hotstove, we share our choices for best player on the Los Angeles Kings.
Todd Cordell
A couple of years ago this would have been an interesting debate. I think the honor is uncontestedly Anze Kopitar’s at this point (Drew Doughty has really fallen off).
Kopitar just led the Kings in goals, and points (by 19!), while producing at a near point per game clip. That’s very impressive considering Alex Iafallo is his top linemate to work with and the Kings’ power play is severely lacking talent/productivity. His situation is far from ideal when it comes to putting up points in bulk yet he has still managed to do so.
On top of being the team’s most productive offensive player by a country mile, Kopitar has continued to provide strong defensive play while matching up against the opposition’s top players.
He’s still very effective at both ends of the rink on a team with many players who struggle to contribute meaningfully at either side of the ice.
Sean Maloughney The LA Kings have a number of young exciting prospects in their system and should return to being a dominant team in the next five years but right now no one on their roster can match up to Anze Kopitar.
Last season no forward played more minutes at even strength than Kopitar and he dominated those minutes. Despite how poor the Kings were last season, Kopitar still produced a GF% of 55.56%, leading the team in even strength assists as well with 27.
Kopitar is deadly on the powerplay, a dominant faceoff man, and strong in both his own zone and the oppositions. Plus/minus isn't a stat I respect too often but Kopitar was one of two forwards this past season who played more than 20 games who was positive. While the Kings are a rebuilding team dealing with massive depth issues, Kopitar still shines through as their most dominant player.
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com
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