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Every article, I try to include a poll question for readers to vote on, then review the results from the week’s polls every weekend. Here are this week’s poll results and my thoughts on how they turned out.
QUESTION: Of these prospects, who do you think has the highest chance of playing center for the Kings?
(Votes: 232)
Akil Thomas: 28%
Jaret Anderson-Dolan: 27%
Tyler Madden: 24%
Rasmus Kupari: 21%
It was really cool to see how close this one turned out, with only 18 votes separating Akil Thomas who received the most votes and Rasmus Kupari, who received the least votes. The Kings certainly have a lot of options at center, with Anze Kopitar, Blake Lizotte and Michael Amadio currently on the roster, Gabriel Vilardi likely to have a spot next season and Alex Turcotte pushing to play in the NHL as well. I don’t really have a guess here, as it’s still so early. I think Thomas may be the best overall prospect, though I don’t know that he’ll end up being the most fit to play center. Both he and Tyler Madden have yet to play their first year of professional hockey, so it may be safer to wait and make my guess a year from now.
QUESTION: Who do you think is more likely to start next season in the NHL?
(Votes: 83)
Bjornfot: 34%
Clague: 31%
Both: 28%
Neither: 7%
Between Tobias Bjornfot and Kale Clague, 93 per cent of voters believe at least one will start the season in the NHL. I was surprised though to see such a high percentage of readers saying that they believe both will start the year with the Kings. To me, this isn’t ideal because it probably means that either Los Angeles is playing three rookies on the left side, between Bjornfot, Clague and Mikey Anderson or one of Bjornfot or Clague is in the press box. In my opinion, it’s probably better to start just one on the bottom pair and one in the AHL, with Anderson on the second pair and either Ben Hutton or a replacement on the top pair. This means everyone is getting playing time but nobody is taking on too large of a role.
QUESTION: Do you think Jeff Carter will play at center or on the wing next season?
(Votes: 78)
Wing: 87%
Center: 13%
Yeah, it certainly does seem that Carter would be better suited on the wing next year to make room for younger players down the middle. He’s still a solid member of the top-nine and playing him with one of the younger centers could be good for their development. He only has two years left on his contract and the Kings should work to phase him out a bit while increasing the role of other players.
OTHER KINGS ARTICLES FROM MAY
Projecting the Kings’ lineup next season: Defense/Goalies
Projecting the Kings’ lineup next season: Forwards 
Los Angeles Kings Blogger • 
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