Prior to the third round, the candidates were as follows: Henrik Lundqvist, Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk, Mike Smith, Jonathan Quick and Dustin Brown (determined based on who makes it to the finals).
For most of those teams, nothing has changed. But for Los Angeles, it's no longer so cut and dry, as both Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar have emerged as potential candidates.
Anze Kopitar
Anze Kopitar is the most dynamic and dangerous scorer on the Kings. So far, he's been slightly overshadowed by Dustin Brown, as Brown has led the team in scoring.
Since the first round against the Canucks, however, Kopitar has been catching up.
In the last five games, Anze has notched nine points, while going plus-six in the process.
In that time, Brown has eight points; six of which have been on plays with Kopitar. While Brown's performance and will has been admirable thus far, the line which he plays on is dependent on Kopitar's skill.
Without Kopitar, Brown wouldn't be a Conn Smythe candidate either.
Drew Doughty
Drew Doughty was not a well-liked man when he made his contract demands public last summer.
His measly 36 points and minus-two rating didn't help his case of being a $7 million worthy defender, either.
Once the playoffs began, however, he upped his game—and continues to with each shift.
Doughty is tied for third in points among defenders despite having played considerably fewer games than those ahead of him.
He also ranks third in plus/minus in the playoffs, falling behind just Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown.
While his performance thus far does not equate to that of Kopitar or B...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
