NHL Trade Rumors: Los Angeles Kings Must Keep Dustin Brown

The Los Angeles Kings have been turning the tide of their franchise over the last few years with smart draft choices and big-time contracts.



All of their work would go right down the drain if they traded away their young captain Dustin Brown when things got tough. They need to reward him for the loyalty he has shown, but he has to do the same.

That’s what the Kings got Saturday night when Dustin Brown scored a natural hat-trick in the team’s 4-0 win. I think it’s safe to say Brown is alive and kicking again.

Brown told AOL Sporting News after his Saturday night performance:

I've been a King my whole career, and I expect to be a King beyond the next few days. With all the rumors flying around, it's my responsibility to prepare myself to be the best I can. Tonight felt good. Things went well for me tonight, and I hope to build on it. I think we've been struggling as a team. I've been struggling personally to score goals, and it definitely felt good to score some goals.

While this should be the ultimate sign for Los Angeles to hold on to their young star, the recent rush to trade away captains is something that has become quite the epidemic. With Columbus Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash on the market and former Philadelphia Flyers captain Mike Richards in LA, there is no sanctity for the “C” anymore.



The hat-trick may increase the offers for the star and the Kings may be silly enough to pull the trigger, but that would go against how this team was built and how the organization has handled themselves.

I would agree that the team hasn’t had the playoff success they had expected, but with such a young core, there is no reason to believe that they won’t be there in a year or two.

If they play free agency and the draft the right way, they could have a Stanley Cup within five years, if Dustin Brown is the captain.
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings