Kings' not-so-brutal deal, '08 picks in The Show and the Kopitar rumor

If he can stay healthy and improve his hands, Lauri Tukonen, the 11th overall pick in 2004, may step right in on the Stars' third line. Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images Allan Muir's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Allan. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

Digging deep into the mail on a warm Friday morning ...

Can you explain to me how a rebuilding team like the Kings can justify trading away a recent first-rounder for a guy no one's ever heard of? How could they give up Lauri Tukonen for Richard Clune? Please tell me that Clune is a late bloomer with 30-goal potential and that Tukonen has two broken legs and needs to be put down like Eight Belles! That has to be it, right?
-- Ian Detwiler, California

I like the Eight Belles line, Ian, but honestly, I'm not sure this was such a brutal deal for the Kings. Tukonen, the 11th overall pick in 2004, certainly has the better pedigree. The right winger has a pro build (6-foot-2, 200) and he's a demon in the corners and along the boards. That said, his hands have never really developed as the Kings hoped, and a series of injuries that seemed to cost him at least 20 games each of the past four seasons earned him the tag of being brittle. Add to that the presence of Oscar Moller, Wayne Simmonds and Ted Purcell -- all of whom are moving up the depth chart -- and some pretty loud whispers about clashes with the coaching staff in Manchester of the AHL and the Kings brass probably looked at this as a case of cutting their losses.

The Stars, having lost Antti Miettinen as a free agent to the Wild, likely see Tukonen as someone who can eventually, if not immediately, replace the Finnish winger as a constant source of fan frustration on the third line.

In Clune, the Kings get a smaller but feistier left wing with the potential to be a fourth line energy player, but a greater likelihood of spending his season in the ECHL. That should tell you all you need to know about Tukonen's value around the league, and why L.A. had no concerns about trading him to a divisional rival.

How many of this summer's first-round draft picks are going to make the jump directly to "The Show?" Who makes the biggest impact, offensively and defensively?
-- Brent Duff, Sydney, Nova Scotia

Depends who you ask. Canvass the picks, and you'll get 30 guys who think they're ready for the big time. Ask the general managers, and you might hear 10 names. Ask the coaches ... well, you get the point.

Although teams are more willing than ever to give a long look at their top picks, the odds are stacked against them, especially blueliners. Just four members of the 2007 first round saw action last season, and one of those, Kyle Turris (No. 3 overall) played only in the final three games of the season. Like Turris, the others, Patrick Kane (No. 1), Sam Gagner (No. 6) and David Perron (No. 26), all are forwards.

But that may change this season with Drew Doughty, the second overall pick and a good bet to earn a spot in Los Angeles. The Kings lost three defenders from last year's squad, and from here anyway, he looks like one of the top three options they have to fill the spots. The Thrashers also have jobs to offer, and No. 3 pick Zach Bogosian is being counted on to win one. And given Toronto's history of throwing young defensemen to the wolves, Luke Schenn (No. 5) might see some time on their blue line.

While those three are probables, there's only one sure thing: top pick Steven Stamkos. The Lightning have him inked, not penciled, in as their second-line center, and given the caliber of players that Tampa has added to ease his transition, he's the preseason favorite to win the Calder.

Other forwards who are thought to have a chance to play this year are Nikita Filatov (No. 6, Columbus), Mikkel Boedker (No. 8, Phoenix), Colin Wilson (No. 9, if Nashville can talk him into leaving school) and Viktor Tikhonov (No. 28, Phoenix). Filatov and Boedker both have the speed and hands to make an instant impact as top-six forwards, but the other two likely would be worked in slowly in depth roles if they were to stick.

In terms of impact? Give me Stamkos and Bogosian.

I read a horrible rumor about the Kings trading Anze Kopitar in a three-team deal with Chicago and Ottawa, with the Kings getting a veteran goaltender and a defenseman. Please tell me this is not true. Kopitar is a star in the making. Plus, they have Jonathan Bernier almost ready. Could you shed any light on this?
-- Jason Debney, Los Angeles

Ever since Aug. 9, 1988, I've learned never to say never about trade buzz, no matter how outlandish. All I can tell you with any certainty is that a rumor has made the rounds suggesting Kopitar would go to the Blackhawks, Martin Gerber and Andrei Meszaros would go to the Kings and Nikolai Khabibulin would join the Senators.

Sounds crazy, but is it possible? Sure. Still, I'd be willing to bet the house against it happening.

Why? Well, multi-team deals are rare because they're notoriously difficult to pull off, especially in the cap era. And when they do happen, you almost never hear of them in advance.

And more to the point, this is a terrible deal for the Kings, who would be giving up their franchise forward for a journeyman goalie and a marginal second-pairing defender. It would set them back five years.

That said, I can see some of these pieces moving around this year. Khabibulin seems to fill a need in Ottawa, and Chicago would certainly like to clear his salary out of the crease after signing Cristobal Huet to a four-year, $22.5 million deal. And Gerber, who has just one year left on his deal at $3.7 million makes some transitional sense for a Kings team that would like to have Bernier in the lineup in 2009-10.

Bottom line, if you've got a Kopitar jersey, I'm betting you'll be able to wear it to home games next season, and for many years to come.