Los Angeles Kings: Filling the 3rd Line Center Role

Quality centers who can play well in both ends are the hardest to find and secure in the NHL. The Los Angeles Kings have two top centers in the league — Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter. They bring it all to the table. Speed, pure skill, power play expertise, strong penalty killing, shutting down the opposing top centers. And that’s just the obvious stuff. Then they do things that can be overlooked — win face-offs, block shots, rally the team in the locker room, and they simply have a knack for knowing where the puck is going to be and making sure they’re there to get it.

As you look at the Kings roster, there are some pretty clear holes in the lineup. As we’ve talked about prior, there are clearly some question marks around defense based on Voynov’s deportation and some recent injuries. As the defensive hole is being addressed by the addition of Christian Ehrhoff, what you find is a glaring hole at one particular position for the Kings — 3rd line Center.

That position was previously filled by veteran center, Jarrett Stoll. Due to some off-ice issues and a lack of production in the past few years, Stoll was given the chance at unrestricted free agency. The New York Rangers picked him up with the hope that he’ll turn it around. With the loss of Stoll, the Kings are searching for someone to fill a void. A void in a position that doesn’t make it on the highlight reels, but ends up being a shutdown & consistent role every team needs. The 3rd line center tends to be a grinder. They work hard in the corners, win face-offs, battle hard, and maybe do some penalty killing.

What Kings fans have to wonder is — who is going to fill that role this season?

It comes down to 4 options at this point in training camp – Trevor Lewis, Jordan Weal, Brian O’Neill, Nick Shore. Here’s a little bit of data on those guys and some of my thoughts:

1. TREVOR LEWIS

Lewis has been a solid player ever since he emerged on the scene in 2010-11. He’s played consistently, killed penalties, and used his speed to help him gain more lineup time. Coaching staff talks about his work ethic and the kind of effort he puts in…every coach’s dream. He’s seen time on the top 2 lines in different stints of the past 2 seasons. But it’s never panned out.

Many would say Lewis hasn’t hit the kind of numbers that were expected from a 1st round pick (17th overall) in 2006. His top season was last year where he put up 9 goals and 25 points while spending much of his time as a RW on the 3rd or 4th line.

Lewis may be that stable 3rd or 4th liner every time desires, but I don’t think he is built for the center position. If he was, then they would have put him there instead of rookie, Nick Shore, last season. Lewis is better fit on the wing.

2. JORDAN WEAL

Weal has gotten some attention this pre-season and for good reason. He’s had some great games and put up some numbers. He’s a talented and fast center who has killed it in every league he’s played in (WHL, AHL). Last season, he was the playoff MVP and helped lead the Manchester Monarchs to the Calder Cup.

Lots of teams would love to have a guy like Weal in their pipeline. His pure skill is dangerous and he’s a guy who will put up numbers once he gets his shot in the NHL. I like to compare him to a guy like Jordan Eberle — small, fast, good hands, and pure skill.

I think Weal would be a good fit for a 3rd line center role as a rookie this year. It would allow him a little more time to develop, but give him some NHL action. Maybe he could see a little bit of time on the power play to give a showing of his offensive talent.

But here’s the problem: the Kings like big guys. That’s obvious. Stars and Sticks put up a good article about the style of play the Kings go for, which the Caps are replicating on the East. Some people think smaller guys just don’t fit in the Kings type of play. I think the Kings are going to need to move past the “big over small” identity because the NHL will continue to move toward a more fast paced game. They need to allow room for different styles of players in their system which leads to another small player as option #3…

3. BRIAN O’NEILL

O’Neill went the college route so he didn’t hit the pros until later in age compared to a guy like Weal. O’Neill is listed at 5’9″ and is another scoring threat to be dealt with. He led the AHL in points last year and was the league MVP. With his age comes a little bit more maturity which might be what the Kings want right now. Maybe the loss of veteran Stoll means the Kings want a little more age in their lineup. If this is true, then the nod goes to O’Neill over Weal.

4. NICK SHORE

Finally, we have a familiar face in Nick Shore. Shore was a solid two-way guy last season when all the Mike Richards issues came up. He stepped in and did his job well. His face-off percentage was unreal for a rookie, he killed penalties, and provided some relief to Kopi and Carter. He shuffled between the 3rd and 4th line and we are yet to see where he’ll fit better in the lineup.

If it were up to me, I’d say Shore is better at a 4th line role…right now. I could see him moving up to a 3rd line role after another season in the NHL.

The season starts next week so let’s see who lands the position to kick-off the year. Wednesday night can’t come soon enough!

Next: Los Angeles Kings: A Trade in the Making

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