It was no secret that the LA Kings were looking for a physical veteran to man the helm in Hollywood this offseason, and it seems that the Crowns have found their man in former Canucks punching bag, I mean defenseman, Willie Mitchell. It was rumored that the San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals, and Vancouver Canucks were all in the running for his services. Nevertheless, it seems that he thought that LA was the best place to win the Cup in the immediate now that he's signed a two year deal with a 3.5 million dollar annual cap hit. It's a great pick up for LA, whose top four is now rounded out by super-stud Drew Doughty, youngster Jack Johnson, playoff hero Rob Scuderi, and Willie Mitchell.
Yet one must wonder if it's the best place for Mitchell to be. The Caps are regular season juggernauts, and he would have been an outstanding addition to a defensive corps that needs someone who can actually play defense, unlike Mike Green. Though they have been known to struggle in the playoffs, his presence there would perhaps have added the kind of grit and defensive prowess necessary to win the whole thing. It's the same story with the Sharks, who need a defenseman to fill in the spot vacated by recently retired captain Rob Blake. Both teams are sure-fire contenders for Lord Stanley's Crunk Goblet, as Lil Jon likes to call it, yet he chose LA. Don't get me wrong, they will win the Cup someday as long as they have the likes of Doughty, Kopitar, Bernier, Quick, Johnson, Brown, and Simmonds there. Still, one would be hard pressed to find somebody that has LA pegged to win it all after losing out on Alex Frolov and Kovie, and replacing him with Alexei Ponikarovsky, winger to the stars.
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