I agree that Byfield (2nd overall) on the third line and Vilardi (11th overall) on the second line makes a lot a sense this year. This also leaves Turcotte (5th overall) to center the top line in the AHL and gain the experience he needs. I think the wildcard is really Lias Anderson (7th overall). We'll see if he turns out out to be a top six forward or a fringe NHLer. Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing him have some time on the top line next to Kopitar for his evaluation year. If you want to learn to be a pro -- play with Kopitar and Brown, that should do it. I also like Byfield in the line up as he only has one year to learn from Carter, who I feel could be an excellent mentor for him -- as their games have some similarities.
L. Anderson - Kopitar - Brown
Kempe - Vilardi - Frk
Iafallo - Byfield - Carter
Wagner/Grundstrom/Lizotte/Amadio/Moore
Anyway you look at -- the Kings have to many centers. With Turcotte, J. Anderson-Dolan, Madden, Kupari pushing for center roles in the next year or two -- we are going to see a lot of those players move to the wings -- it will be interesting to see how the cards land.
- Cabbages and Kings
I think Lias is spending the year on loan in the SHL.I don't know if the terms say he can be recalled before the end of the SHL season. Considering his apparent fragility, the Kings probably want him to spend as much time at home "getting right" as possible to ease his transition back to NA hockey.
