LOS ANGELES – The case for why the Los Angeles Kings should select Cole Caufield at No. 5 in the NHL Draft in June in Vancouver is really quite straightforward.



It essentially comes down to two words.



Goal scoring.



Now for regular readers of The Athletic, my endorsement of the dynamic forward might look curious. In our mock draft for The Athletic, hours after the NHL Draft Lottery on April 9, I selected defenseman Bowen Byram of the WHL Vancouver Giants at No. 5. He was still available in our drafting exercise but one NHL scout and another draft analyst have said in no uncertain terms that Byram will be off the board when the Kings pick at No. 5.



So, back to the case for Caufield.



Caufield is headed to the University of Wisconsin this fall, where he will play for former Kings forward Tony Granato. He leads the list of all-time goal scorers in USA Hockey’s development program and scored 72 goals in 64 games this past season. Most...