...So right now, the Kings have a spot on defense open. Who should take it?
Pros: Drewiske is the incumbent and the one who probably knows the system the best out of any prospective defenseman.
Cons: He has the least amount of upside and couldn't play more than 6th defenseman minutes. Playing Drewiske puts a lot of pressure on the defensemen already on the team to step up.
Viatcheslav Voynov (AHL)- 76 games, 15 G, 36 A, 51 P, +21, 36 PIM
Pros: Voynov is the closest you could come to filling the hole the Kings have to fill from an offensive perspective: he's a great skater, he's right-handed, he has good offensive instincts and he can run a power play.
Cons: Voynov's defensive game is still in question and the Kings would have to use Jack Johnson or Alec Martinez on the penalty kill. Because he plays the right side, he'd pretty much have to win a top-4 spot or the Kings would have to feel comfortable moving Greene into a bigger role.
Jake Muzzin (AHL)- 45 games, 3 G, 15 A, 18 P, +20, 39 PIM
Pros: Muzzin is the closest you could come to filling the hole the Kings have to fill from an defensive perspective: he's big, he's physical, he can play the right side. He also beat out everyone else out of training camp last year for a job on defense.
Cons: He's kind of incompetent offensively and the Kings would have to either play Martinez/Johnson for 2 full minutes or one of Mitchell/Scuderi/Greene/Richards might get a few minutes on the point. Muzzin is probably the best of the prospects defensively but he's still nowhere near what he'd be replacing. He won the job last year but that's when the Kings the Kings already had 2 offensive defensemen in the top-4.
Thomas Hickey (AHL)- 77 games, 6 G, 18 A, 24 P, +9, 38 PIM
Pros: Hickey is probably the best blend of offense and defense that the Kings have.
Cons: He's probably not quite NHL-level for either. If the Kings need to replace a hole, I'd rather it were with someone who was NHL-level at either one.
If I had to pick, I'd pick Voynov. He's the only one who brings an elite skill set in an area and the Kings need defensemen who are elite in something. Pairing Voynov with someone like Greene or Scuderi should help keep the goals against somewhat in check, and the overall system should help too. The Kings should score more this season with their new additions; hopefully that's enough.
Wait, shit, I forgot someone:
I don't know much about this plucky youngster but he could win a job. Who knows?
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