Speculation: Fire Rob Blake Blow it Up Offseason Thread (update: Robitaille and Blake stay)

[johnjm22]

The Kings roster with no moves aside from UFA signings since the 2021-2022 season:

Iafallo - Byfield - Vilardi
Laferriere - Kopitar - Kempe
Moore - Danault - Arvidsson
Kupari - Lizotte - Grundstorm
*Thomas, Turcotte

Anderson - Doughty
Roy - Faber
Walker - Spence
*Clarke, Englund

Quick
Talbot
*Copley, Rittich, Petersen

I still think we make the playoffs both years, and we'd still have selected players with the 1st round picks we gave up in the Fiala and Gavrikov trades. It is a tough look.

That looks like an organization that's on it's way to becoming something similar to the Dallas Stars.

 

[KINGS17]

Found the clip you were talking about. Lombardi is PISSED at the thought the Kings having a good season. Compare that with what we got yesterday

Trust me, some heads on the roster were going to roll had Dean stayed.

 

[YAYSAY]

If they're really planning on running it back again next season then I have almost zero interest in watching them next season

 

[Trash Panda]

but ayyyy PLD goes out drinkin wit da boys!!!!

Drinking “hard” Kombucha at the private Yoga club don’t count.

 

[BaileyFan]

This would be a good start to the end of this atrocious era, then management will really feel the squeeze. There's almost no point in making the playoffs if the team is an easy first round exit. The only plus I see is more experience for the youth. Byfield is one of the few bright spots in this whole clusterf***, he deserves better along with the rest of the young core.

Check back in a few months when this front office has already traded Spence and is playing hardball with Byfield on his contract so they can fit Tristan Jarry (who they traded the 2024 1st for) and Anthony Mantha under the cap.

 

[Schmooley]

Check back in a few months when this front office has already traded Spence and is playing hardball with Byfield on his contract so they can fit Tristan Jarry (who they traded the 2024 1st for) and Anthony Mantha under the cap.

I can see Blake doing Spence Grundstrom and a 1st for Saros. And Lizotte and Kaliyev being dealt for picks.

 

[Nasti]

Imagine they’d kept Faber and traded Doughty instead. You’d have Faber, Clarke, and Spence on the right side for the next decade+ and whatever you got for Doughty (and Roy). You’d also still have your 2022 first rounder and more cap space. This really isn’t rocket science.

 

[Kurrilino]

Those are direct quotes.

Those guys still have a job why?

 

[Steve Zissou]

Finally found what Luc's job entails

 

[Nasti]

The exit interview on Youtube has 5850 views as I type this with 103 likes. I mean, I know that’s an embarrassingly low number of likes but I can’t help wonder who those 103 are. Actually, I think I know three of them.

 

[Telos]

It is depressing thinking we are going to likely waste significant portions of Byfield and Clarke's careers on trying to win one playoff series before Kopitar and Doughty retire.

 

[FrozenKing18]

Maybe if Kaliyev was a Brisson client he wouldn’t get this much bs.

Can’t believe how management has to cater to this f***ing diva in order for him to play better.

 

[tny760]

It is depressing thinking we are going to likely waste significant portions of Byfield and Clarke's careers on trying to win one playoff series before Kopitar and Doughty retire.

no no no

clarke's defense isn't ready (he hasn't paid his dues)

and byfield needs to command a line (but every line he's double shifted to instantly gets better)

 

[DryIslandBartender]

Found the clip you were talking about. Lombardi is PISSED at the thought the Kings having a good season. Compare that with what we got yesterday

Yes, and I must say it was a little uncomfortable for me to watch again because normally you don’t disagree with a legend such as Bob Miller like that but clearly Deano was incensed. Eyes were darting around and wanted to get up out of the chair and go back to the office, maybe watch tape on other teams, players, talk to his staff. Who knows.

You can clearly see the gears in his head already moving, he has identified the problem and lays it out clearly for anyone to understand, he knows how other teams are doing (cited Pittsburgh) and he’s trying to find the solution.

Couple things. He’s a tireless worker, he worked extremely hard for San Jose for years and built them (literally built their hockey operations from scratch) into perennial winners, got canned. Did the same for LA, got canned. Given those outcomes, I don’t think he wanted to go through that process again, because he’s the type to work 80 hours a week.

He is in that Jack Ferreira role now, just advising. Speaking of Jack, he had an interview some years back when he was Deans consigliere. He had alluded several times to Dean being pressured to start Bernier in 2006 after that Europe trip and was heavily pressured to sign Hossa, Kovalchuk and Richards. AEG wanted a name player no matter what, forced DL to negotiate with them. Jack said that if Dean gave in and signed one of them, you probably wouldn’t have Willie, Richard’s etc.


Which brings me to my next question, let’s say Luc and Blake are canned, whenever that is. Does anyone think they will hire a veteran hockey ops person with their own independent thoughts and ideas about the game/organization? Or does AEG hire someone that will be making decisions collaboratively as we see with this regime? To me, that’s the real question.

 

[DryIslandBartender]

Trust me, some heads on the roster were going to roll had Dean stayed.

Yeah, AEG drew a line in the sand on the roster and forced the issue on Sutter. “You aren’t going to do squat with player x,y.z. They’ll help sell tickets. Oh and we want you to can Sutter.”

I don’t think that final exit interview went over well, probably a lot of fireworks in that meeting.

 

[Nasti]

Yes, and I must say it was a little uncomfortable for me to watch again because normally you don’t disagree with a legend such as Bob Miller like that but clearly Deano was incensed. Eyes were darting around and wanted to get up out of the chair and go back to the office, maybe watch tape on other teams, players, talk to his staff. Who knows.

You can clearly see the gears in his head already moving, he has identified the problem and lays it out clearly for anyone to understand, he knows how other teams are doing (cited Pittsburgh) and he’s trying to find the solution.

Couple things. He’s a tireless worker, he worked extremely hard for San Jose for years and built them (literally built their hockey operations from scratch) into perennial winners, got canned. Did the same for LA, got canned. Given those outcomes, I don’t think he wanted to go through that process again, because he’s the type to work 80 hours a week.

He is in that Jack Ferreira role now, just advising. Speaking of Jack, he had an interview some years back when he was Deans consigliere. He had alluded several times to Dean being pressured to start Bernier in 2006 after that Europe trip and was heavily pressured to sign Hossa, Kovalchuk and Richards. AEG wanted a name player no matter what, forced DL to negotiate with them. Jack said that if Dean gave in and signed one of them, you probably wouldn’t have Willie, Richard’s etc.


Which brings me to my next question, let’s say Luc and Blake are canned, whenever that is. Does anyone think they will hire a veteran hockey ops person with their own independent thoughts and ideas about the game/organization? Or does AEG hire someone that will be making decisions collaboratively as we see with this regime? To me, that’s the real question.

Dean actually really did want Brad Richards.

 

[Trash Panda]

Dean actually really did want Brad Richards.

Shit, I did too, prime Brad Richards was a hell of a player.

His rapid decline was really sad to watch.

 

[fivehole32]

He is in that Jack Ferreira role now, just advising. Speaking of Jack, he had an interview some years back when he was Deans consigliere. He had alluded several times to Dean being pressured to start Bernier in 2006 after that Europe trip and was heavily pressured to sign Hossa, Kovalchuk and Richards. AEG wanted a name player no matter what, forced DL to negotiate with them. Jack said that if Dean gave in and signed one of them, you probably wouldn’t have Willie, Richard’s etc.

The Bernier part I'm not surprised about. I can see some brass from AEG saying, "We spent a 1st rounder on this awesome goalie, get him in the line up now." If Heckle and Jeckle were running the show Quick would have never seen the light of day in this organization.

 

[FrozenKing18]

Dean actually really did want Brad Richards.

Not surprising, considering how much Dean liked his vets with leadership qualities. I bet B. Richards would've been a great add, don't think he would've lit it up offensively but think he would've been consistent. Not sure if we still win the cups, it would've depended on what Dean's plan was after inking Richards.

Found the clip you were talking about. Lombardi is PISSED at the thought the Kings having a good season. Compare that with what we got yesterday

Finally got around to watching this and the rest of the interview. Man.. I miss Dean. As an owner, why wouldn't you want a guy like that running your franchise, I know there's other business bullshit surrounding it but if a guy like that continued to have the team win, new fans will come flocking in. The guy had so much passion for the team and refused to celebrate small victories. Meanwhile, we have clowns in the front office that thinks being knocked off the the 1st round three years in a row is making progress. I wonder what this team would look like had there been no shenanigans from Luc and Dean was given a longer leash and wasn't pressured to make drastic trades to keep his job.

 

[KopitarGOAT420]

Bored and depressed that we're likely stuck with much of the same next year.. Attempting to throw together a way-too-early potential/hopeful opening night roster for the Kings for 2024/25.

For goalies, I imagine we'll likely go the low cost route again - So either a cheap UFA or maybe trading for an inexpensive goalie with some upside. Then ideally re-signing Rittich as a back up on a 1-2 year deal. Portillo could be an option later in the year but likely starts the season as the Reign's #1.

In this scenario, Moore is traded for cap space to sign some of the UFAs and/or acquire a goalie. I like Moore but as others have pointed out his value is probably the highest it will be right now after those 31 goals and he seemed defeated in the playoffs. Don't think it hurts the Kings too much if they move on from him.

That hypothetical roster would have about $8m in cap space to budget for goaltender. Although I'll admit some of my UFA signings are probably a little on the cheap/low side, so let's just make that $5m budgeted for goaltending (basically add $1m onto the Trenin, O'Brien, and Martinez contracts). I actually think this could be a pretty formidable roster if Byfield is able to step into the 1C role and PLD has a bounce back season in an elevated role playing on the 1st line with QB and Kempe.

Thoughts?

 

[CarlSneep]

I don't really see why the Kings wouldn't create space for Portillo and see what he can do. He'll be 24 on opening night. They slow-played Petersen too much in the AHL and look what happened to him.

 

[KopitarGOAT420]

I don't really see why the Kings wouldn't create space for Portillo and see what he can do. He'll be 24 on opening night. They slow-played Petersen too much in the AHL and look what happened to him.

I'm really not opposed to this at all. I wouldn't mind seeing Portillo as the back up starting next season - Just going off of what we've heard from Kings media & management, it sounds like they really want to give him another year in the AHL (sadly)

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Didn't Lombardi call Pittsburgh the "flavor of the month," and then they went on to win back-to-back championships?

Sadly, it turned out that the team Lombardi managed became that "flavor of the month" and has never found that same success they once had once all the leaders left that locker room.

 

[Schrute farms]

So Blake has one more year on his deal. Letting him cook (pun intended) his last year and not firing him is one thing, Giving him an extension is another. So if thing sdon't improve, it's a natural progression they hire someone else -- since they don't have to fire him and pay him multiple years. Assuming of course they don't do something stupid like extend him.

My question for the board: what about Luc's contract? Anyone know what kind of term he has? I think he'll find a way to blame the future failures on others and stay. But just contract wise, if AEG doesn't want to pay someone to go away and would wait out his contract...what's he got left on his current deal?

 

[Telos]

So Blake has one more year on his deal. Letting him cook (pun intended) his last year and not firing him is one thing, Giving him an extension is another. So if thing sdon't improve, it's a natural progression they hire someone else -- since they don't have to fire him and pay him multiple years. Assuming of course they don't do something stupid like extend him.

My question for the board: what about Luc's contract? Anyone know what kind of term he has? I think he'll find a way to blame the future failures on others and stay. But just contract wise, if AEG doesn't want to pay someone to go away and would wait out his contract...what's he got left on his current deal?

I dunno about that. I thought of that before the presser, but I was expecting him to be shown the door this offseason. Now that he is staying, I expect he'd get another deal since the old boys club is left to cook with impunity. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he got a TMac extension so that if he is fired he gets extra severance.