As the 70s bled into the 80s, stay-at-home Defensemen were not in vogue but were (and are) a necessary part of Hockey. This made Los Angeles' 1979 First Round selection of Jay Wells unsexy, but his toughness was required, and proved to be a large part of who the Kings were in the 1980s.
Wells did not have a single Point in his rookie season (43 Games), but he was a needed punisher who protects his side of the ice. Wells would late generate offense, peaking with a 42-Point year in 1985-86, followed by a 35-Point year. Wells ever had a year with Los Angeles where he had less than 100 Penalty Minutes, and he would sit in the box as a King for a total of 1,446 Minutes.
For a Defenseman who was not considered offensively capable in some circles, he did put forth 177 Points with Los Angeles, the team he would be traded from in the 1988 offseason.
Wells would later win a Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1994.
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