1. Anze Kopitar
Was there going to be anyone else at the top of this list among the best centers of the 2000s for the Kings other than Anze Kopitar?
The 11th overall pick for the Kings in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft in the first round, Kopitar lived up to the hype and from the moment he arrived in Los Angeles. Kopitar scored 20 goals and over 60 total points in 72 games, finishing in the top five of the Calder Trophy voting in 2007.
In the 2007-08 season, Kopitar established himself as one of the premier two-way centers in the league at just 20 years old, making his first NHL All-Star Game while scoring 32 goals and 77 points for the Kings.
Kopitar continued to make a name for himself as a force to be reckoned with in all three zones on the ice while remaining one of the Kings' most productive and effective offensive players in the decade. He played a critical role in helping the Kings make the postseason for the first time since 2002, scoring five total points in six games played in the 2010 playoffs.
Easily the best center in franchise history for the Kings, Kopitar was one of the primary drivers for Los Angeles winning two Stanley Cups in the early-to-mid 2010s. He wouldn't have been able to lead the Kings to where they were in the 2010s without the develop and mentoring he got from veteran leaders in the locker room in Los Angeles in the late 2000s.
Even though he played well under 350 regular season games in the 2000s decade with the Kings, Kopitar was still the team's only center to record over 100 goals and 250 points.
Add us as a preferred source on Google