The Los Angeles Kings, entering the 2010 NHL Draft, were coming off their first playoff appearance in six seasons, and it was the start of one of the most successful runs for the franchise. It was the first of five straight playoff appearances, and two of those ended with them celebrating with the Stanley Cup.
At the time of the 2010 NHL Draft, they had no idea what the future was about to hold for them, and in the middle of the first round would select Derek Forbort. However, it wasn't until after that playoff run that he made his NHL debut, appearing in 14 games in the 2015-16 season before becoming a full-time starter the season after.
In total, Forbort played in 268 games for the Kings before being traded during the 2019-20 season to the Calgary Flames for a fourth-round pick. The defenseman never really reached his potential during his time with the Kings and looking back at the first round that year, there are two players who would have been much better picks.
Vladimir Tarasenko
Vladimir Tarasenko was selected one pick after Forbort by the St. Louis Blues and had a great start to his NHL career. He would make his NHL debut in 2012-13 and would make the All-Star Game in three of his first five seasons in the league.
From 2014-15 through the 2016-17 season, Tarasenko had 70 or more points, and for his career has averaged .80 points per game. He was also a big part of the Blues' success during their Stanley Cup run in 2019, when he had 17 points in 26 playoff games.
He has moved around the past few seasons, and while he isn't the same player, he still produces and helped the Florida Panthers win a Stanley Cup in 2024. Tarasenko currently has the third-most goals and fourth-most points in the draft class that year and would have been a solid addition for the Kings.
Evgeny Kuznetsov
The other player the Kings wish they drafted instead of Forbort was Evgeny Kuznetsov, who was the 26th overall pick by the Washington Capitals. Kuznetsov's career stats are very similar to Tarasenko but he has more assists with 402, which is the fifth-highest total in this draft class.
He spent almost his entire career with the Capitals before being traded in his final season in the league to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Kuznetsov best stretch was during the Capitals Stanley Cup run when he would have 20 assists and 32 points (league-high totals) in 24 playoff games. In the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights, he had eight points alone in just five games.
Either of these players would have ended up being better picks for the Los Angeles Kings and might have helped them have more success after that second Stanley Cup.