Arrow: 6 Reasons Why Laurel's Death Was Actually A Good Thing

Team Arrow could have cut Laurel as a regular field member without Arrow necessarily killing her, but Arrow needed to kill somebody on Team Arrow for the sake of the payoff.

Laurel was the character whose death could have a large impact on the survivors in Season 4 but wouldn't cripple the team or the narrative in the long term. Arrow is the story of Oliver Queen's journey from poorly-coiffed pre-island Ollie to the fully-developed hero Green Arrow, and characters' importances must be determined by their relevance to Oliver. Of the five members of Team Arrow, Laurel had the least relevance to Oliver as of Season 4.

Felicity was the woman with whom Oliver had fallen madly in love. Thea was the little sister for whom Oliver had already proven he'd give up anything. Diggle was the big brother figure who served as an example to Oliver as a man who had learned to both be a hero and have a life. Laurel...was there. Her biggest connection to Oliver was via their relationship before the island and briefly after the island. Oliver has spent four seasons moving away from his past, and that has resulted in him moving away from Laurel as an essential figure in his life.

Team Arrow can function without her, and Laurel herself admitted that she isn't the love of Oliver's life. She lifts out, and her death won't destroy any necessary aspect of Oliver's life. Laurel was the right choice to die.