When Los Angeles Kings forward Dustin Brown retired at season’s end one of the questions was who will replace him on the roster? With the Kings having great depth at forward it would not be hard to find a player to play in the King’s top 9. Although the Kings could find a replacement via free agency, trade, or the draft the replacement might already be in the King’s organization.
Jaret Anderson-Dolan was drafted 41st overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and has shown flashes of being a top 6 forward. With his style of game close to the one that Brown played it could be a perfect fit for Anderson-Dolan to be that guy. In 4 years Anderson-Dolan has only played 50 NHL games but in that time he has refined his game and now is ready for a full-time NHL roster spot.
With a few tweaks to his game, Anderson-Dolan became a legit scoring threat at the AHL level. Last season for the AHL Ontario Reign, he scored 24 goals and 23 assists for 47 points in 54 games, along with 51 penalty minutes. He went scoreless in 7 Los Angeles Kings games but gained more experience in the pro game.
Promoting Anderson-Dolan to a full-time role would be the easiest, and maybe best, thing for Los Angeles. Anderson-Dolan plays a King’s style of hockey, his contract is not a factor, and he could slot in anywhere in the lineup. He is coming off of a promising season and it would not surprise me if he plays more games in the NHL next season.
When he does slot into the lineup next season he will bring the same gritty, tough, and relentless style of game as Brown. He is younger and faster so he could be a real asset
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(photo: lakingsinsider.com: Zach Dooley) (photo: lakingsinsider.com: Jack Jablonski)
