Younger Kings players must beat Anze Kopitar for scoring title - Los Angeles Times
# Younger Kings players must beat Anze Kopitar for scoring title - Los Angeles Times
# Contributors
# Players
# Staff
# Summary
It says a lot about Anze Kopitar — and the Kings — that he has led them in scoring 14 of the last 15 seasons. […] But as the Kings rise again, they’d be better off if Kopitar doesn’t lead them in scoring this season. At minimum they need him to be seriously challenged for supremacy because that will mean they’ve gathered enough skill and scoring depth to contend for the Cup again.
# Notes and Quotes
It’s going to be hard to beat Kopi in scoring, ever. He’s our No. 1 guy for all that type of stuff. Guys like Fiala or Kempe or Danault maybe have an opportunity to outscore him, but to be honest, I don’t really see it happening. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s 15 of 16. – Drew Doughty
Kopi is still a high-end player that’s capable of playing high-end minutes on our team or any other team in the league. You could drop him on the Stanley Cup champs and they’re going to play him those minutes because he’s a quality player. – Todd McLellan
I feel good, I feel like I’m in good shape and still young enough to log all the minutes. Whoever wins the scoring title, it’s good for me or whoever it’s going to be. But it’s a matter of a team game. That’s what we’ve done in years past and that’s what we have to do. It’s a matter of making sure the team plays the way we need to play to make the playoffs, and then go deep and ultimately go all the way again. – Anze Kopitar
The feeling’s good, obviously. I think it was a big step last year, especially with all the injuries that went through this locker room throughout the season, and a much-needed gaining of experience. Because playing in a Game 7 it’s a different type of deal, versus being a 4-1 series [loss] or 4-0. The majority of young guys who hadn’t experienced that, they now know how it feels like and what to expect. – Anze Kopitar
I really do think before the three of us retire we’ll have one more Cup in us, at least. – Drew Doughty
We’re on, I guess, maybe the old side of things right now but between me, Quickie and Drew, I think we still have quite a bit left. With the young guys developing as fast and as good as they did, I think it’s most definitely an opportunity to win again. – Anze Kopitar