Dressing rooms may be quieter, but one Kings presence is growing - This one right next to me Kopitar said
# Dressing rooms may be quieter, but one Kings presence is growing - This one right next to me Kopitar said
# Contributors
# Players
# Staff
# Summary
Coaches and developers have been sharing more regular observations in recent years that the modern young player is quieter.
# Notes and Quotes
I think his biggest accomplishment last year was just consistency right from day one, and obviously he scored a large number of goals, but that transfers over to, ‘okay, we need that again out of you. So, not only are we expecting that, that we know he can accomplish it, but the leadership part that comes with it. When you get into tight situations or you get into an overtime situation and you’re relying on a big player to step up, he’s now at that level for us. – Todd McLellan
It’s different, certainly. A guy like that, you can obviously never replace. To be in this room for 18 straight years and 16 straight years that I was sitting next to him, it’s tough. But there are opportunities for the other guys to evolve, and those are big shoes to fill. But they do evolve and try to fill at least a little bit. – Anze Kopitar
He’s been in the organization for a long time. We saw glimpses of that – at times there may have been 10 or 15 games stretches [he was good], and there would be some stretches where it wasn’t [as good]. The more complete player has come out of him throughout the years, and the fit within the lineup [is good] now, too. – Rob Blake
To me, where Adrian [was] the day I walked in the door and where Adrian is now, he’s gone from boy to man, in my opinion, and his responsibility for his own game has gone up immensely. And I see that in him. So, I have confidence that he can carry on. Is he a 35 goal scorer? I sure hope so. But I know he’s a 20 minute player for sure most nights, and that’s just as important as being a 35 goal scorer. – Todd McLellan