First, let me say congratulations to Anze Kopitar for playing in his 1,000 games. A true professional in the good times and bad, a King through and through.
A certain Hall of Famer in my opinion. A skinny kid out of Slovenia who became one of the best players in the league he never complained about his role or the position of the team.
Then there are the coaching vacancies that are all throughout the league. It was known that the Los Angeles Kings would not be bringing back intern coach Willie Desjardins after this season, first reported by NHL.com, which opens up a coaching spot. This brings the total to 7 openings. Most of the teams have intern coaches but have not been given a head coaching position yet. This means Phil Housley, Bob Boughner, Randy Carlyle, Dave Hakstol, Todd McLellan, Mike Yeo, John Stevens, and Willie Desjardins are all out there for coaching jobs. Should be a fun offseason
Now comes the point us Los Angeles Kings fans cannot be totally happy about. The Kings were projected for much of the better part of 4 months to have the 2nd overall pick in the 2019 draft. Yesterday the lottery was held and the Kings ended up with the 5th overall pick. The pick is still top 5 but it is a big disappointment when you were projected higher for so long. The team should get a very good player regardless of who is there and furthers along with the youth movement.
If by chance nothing changes this year and the Kings remain at the bottom then there is a good chance that they pick in the top 5 next year also, where Alexis Lafreniere would be available. Some are calling him the next Sidney Crosby, we shall see.
Photo: NHL.com
