NHL Rumors: Will Dustin Brown Rumors Resurface?
The Los Angeles Kings were rumored to have many offers for their captain Dustin Brown at around the trade deadline. Many felt that the Kings were going to move him and it was just a question of when and where. With the Kings uncertainty of a playoff appearance at that time, it was likely that the Kings may have considered moving him for what could have been a rather sweet deal for the Kings. However just 2 days before the deadline Brown proved that the only place he wanted to be is in Los Angeles as he scored a hat trick and added an assist against the Chicago Blackhawks. After this, it seemed the rumors started to die off and he remained with the Kings, and after that we all know what the outcome was for the Kings.
However, if the Kings were in fact open to offers for their captain then it could possibly happen again. Brown is a consistent 50-60 point scorer who can put up 20-30 goals per season and is one of the gritty captains in the league who plays all out on every shift. Add that with a low cap hit for another 2 years and there is no wonder why teams were showing much interest in him.
There are two crucial reasons why the Kings would consider moving Brown this year. The first is that the Kings obtain the Stanley Cup hangover and slump this season. By the time the deadline comes, the Kings are out of playoff contention and with no 1st round pick in the 2013 draft, he could bring back a solid package including a 1st round pick. The second is if one of the Kings hot shot offensive prospects step up in a big way and claim a top scoring winger position. Even though it is more likely that Justin Williams would be replaced, it is possible they cut ties with Brown as he could gain a much larger ransom. The Philadelphia Flyers would love to put him next to Claude Giroux, or Brown could be the winger that the Pittsburgh Penguins want for Sidney Crosby. There are at least 20 other NHL teams that would love to add him to their roster.
While these are possibilities, I feel Brown is not going anywhere and will resign with the Kings for a long time. At only 27 years of age, he has become a strong leader and and a consistent scorer for the Kings. While the Kings could possibly get a team to overpay for Brown, nothing will be able to replace his leadership and loyalty to the team. His chemistry with Anze Kopitar is fantastic, and Brown adds the grit that Kopitar and the Kings need to be successful. So will the Brown rumors ever resurface? There is a chance they do, but Brown is too important to the team to actually be moved.
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