Is Steve Pinizzotto the next Jason King? A lesson for locked out players

Remember Jason King? The unheralded 7th round pick from Corner Brook, Newfoundland was a pleasant surprise for the Vancouver Canucks in the early 2000s. After one and a half impressive seasons with the Manitoba Moose, King was solidifying a role in the NHL during the 2003-04 season. At age 22, he played 47 games for the Canucks, playing mostly alongside Daniel and Henrik Sedin. King made the most of his time in the NHL during that season, scoring 12 goals and looking like the best fit with the Sedins since Trent Klatt (Anson Carter and Alex Burrows had not arrived on the scene at this point in time). The line even got catchy nickname, the mattress line (two twins and a king). Then the lockout happened. Instead of starting the 2004-05 season in Vancouver, King started the season in Manitoba in the AHL. He played well, picking up 53 points in 59 games, but he also suffered a serious concussion. That concussion didn’t allow him to come to training camp at the start of the 2005-06 seaso...