For much of the 2000s decade, the Los Angeles Kings were seeking out stability in the middle of the lineup before finding their long-term answer in the 2005 NHL Draft in Anze Kopitar.
Along the way, the Kings relied on multiple dependable veteran centers who helped to bridge the gap between the rebuilding seasons earlier in the decade and the franchise's return to playoff contention in the late 2000s.
The Kings also had a handful of centers who started off with promising runs with the team in the 2000s, but were ultimately limited by a combination of factors, including injuries and the lockout in 2004-05.
These centers helped guide the Los Angeles Kings from rebuilding years to the doorstep of a championship era
You can't talk about the foundation that the Kings built for the two Stanley Cup Championship teams in the following decade without discussing the development of centers like longtime captain and franchise legend Kopitar in the late 2000s.
This is the last position group on the list for the 2000s, as we've already done the rankings for the top three goalies, defensemen, and wingers for the Kings from this decade. After this part of the series is done, we'll start taking a look at the best three players from each position group in the accomplished 2010s decade for the Kings' franchise.
Here's a ranking of the three best centers for the Kings from the 2000s decade.
3. Bryan Smolinski
The Kings greatly benefited from a big trade in 1999 that saw the team acquire high-octane scoring winger Ziggy Palffy and veteran two-way center Bryan Smolinski from the Ottawa Senators. Palffy and Smolinski were big reasons why the Kings were playoff contenders in the Western Conference in the early 2000s, including a first-round playoff upset of the Detroit Red Wings in 2001.
In his roughly half-decade wearing the black and silver uniform for the Kings, Smolinski gave the team reliable and versatile play at the center position on both sides of the ice, including in multiple playoff runs for Los Angeles in the early 2000s.
Smolinski was about as consistent and durable as you could wish for the Kings at the center position, logging heavy minutes in the regular season and the playoff runs for Los Angeles in the early 2000s. He played a critical role in the middle of the lineup for the Kings in three separate playoff appearances in the early 2000s, including registering six points in 13 games vs. the Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche in the 2001 playoffs.
He scored 20 goals and over 50 total points in his first two full seasons playing for the Kings, and nearly had a third in the 2002-03 campaign. Smolinski and Kopitar were the only two Kings' centers to score at least 75 goals in the 2000s.
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