Nah, still prefer Malkins deal. Your argument focuses too much on the buyout aspect. I could argue the rebuttal here is that Malkins deal is easier to move as he’s owed less money at the back end. So whilst the cap hit remains the same, he’s actually paid less at the end as compared to Kopitars deal.

Malkin 4x6.1mil > Kopitar 2x7mil

Not buyout, just risk assessment. The Kings signed a shorter term deal for a slightly higher premium on the AAV up front to not have to suffer the 35+ contract drawbacks. They're also not going to have to a 40-year old Kopitar with a $6M AAV on the books. If Kopitar agrees to the exact same salary as Malkin for years 3 and 4, they'll get him for a very reasonable $5.2M AAV. That's when guys like Brandt Clarke are going to be looking for their big paydays. Hopefully they structure that deal the same way instead of front-loading it.

Matthews to LA is off the table..

Overpay he is aging already over 35 his play will decline quickly and it will be a really bad contract

He scored 74 points last season, so $7 million isn't an overpay. Two years isn't a real issue, because the only way he falls off a cliff, is if he's injured, and then he's on LTIR for the rest of his career. It's kind of risk free in that regard.

It’s just a game (forum), why do you have to be mad?

A 2C???? OMG. Have you watched Kopitar play in the last couple years or ever in his career?! I understand if you’re saying this based off where he’ll be in 3 years. But dude is STILL elite and man was he good last year

He is a 1C now, but in 2 years he will be playing a more defensive role under dubois... most likely as a 2C. That's not a knock on him at all.

Overpay, how?

Fair enough, but 7M on a guy that age is still a bit of a gamble

I think it depends on how you phrase the question. If you say, “who was the greatest player ever to play for the Kings?”, it has to be Gretzky, but if you ask, “who was the greatest King of all time?”, then it’s open for debate.

Although Gretzky was still the best player in the league for most of his time in LA, I’ll eliminate him because he’s still thought of as an Oiler first. Between Dionne and Kopitar, I don’t think Dionne ever won the Hart, but unlike Kopitar he did win the Art Ross, and he was closer to being considered the best player in the league than Kopitar was. However, Dionne never won the Stanley Cup, and he was already a star in Detroit before he went to LA (he was a free agent signing, but they worked out a trade rather than taking the prescribed compensation), so I’d lean toward Kopitar because he broke in with LA and stayed for his whole career (so far), and he was the leader of the two cup teams.

Yeah for the Gretzky part you explained what I was trying to say in my first paragraph. I like your wording. The greatest king not the greatest player to play for the king's.

If you know basketball: I'm a raptors fan, and there is an argument to be made that kawhi was the greatest player to play for the raptors (and he led us to a championship). But he was a one and done. He can't be the greatest raptor. That's either Kyle Lowry or Vince Carter (and probably the former because of how the latter left)

Also as an aside I'm surprised it's only Kopitar getting in the discussion for this generation and not doughty. But I guess doughty did decline some in his early 30s to just a good first pairing defender not the super star he was for his 20s so I guess that may take away a bit

I was laughing my ass off while reading this really mature "conversation" about who is right and who is wrong on a CF Forum

That's what everyone said when Byfield was drafted.

I see no reason why Kopitar can't bring the same level of play for the next 3 years. His game doesn't rely on speed.

Yeah, I feel like Kopitar's been at the top of his game longer than Doughty, as was Dionne, but maybe he should be in the conversation too. Did he ever win the Norris? Hard to believe he's only 33. Seems like he's been around forever.

I must admit I don't really follow the Kings though, so I should probably defer to somebody who's closer to the team on this question, but it's still fun to look at it as an outsider who's seen all of the guys we're talking about play.

I thought he had won more

He has 1 Norris
Twice second place in Norris voting and once third

Similarly he was on the first all star team twice and second twice.

Where does Byfield get traded to so he can actually play Center anytime in the next 3 seasons?