2019-20 Kings News/Rumors

[crassbonanza]

If AEG is serious about making a change in management, it needs to be a house cleaning with the following people fired.

1. Robitaille
2. Blake
3. Emerson
4. Murray
5. Donnelley
6. O’Donnell
7. Stoll
8. Johnson

Ideally it happens after the TDL and they give Luc’s job to Hextall and name Futa as interim GM for the rest of the season. This allows them to get in the GM search earlier than if they wait for the end of the regular season. You can fire the lackeys below BLuc in the off-season one by one.

I think Hextall should keep the President job moving forward and you consider Futa as a candidate after talking to other legitimate candidates. I’d like to see them interview as many of the following people as possible, listed in order of general preference, assuming they’re available.

Mark Hunter / Ross Mahoney
Bill Armstrong / Pat Verbeek
Mike Gillis / Tom Fitzgerald

Why do you want O'Donnell and Stoll fired?

 

[funky]

I think Blake deserves another year minimum unless there is some behind the scenes crap going on we don’t know about.

Luc as I player I love but he is due to be replaced. I just get that feeling he interfered in Blake’s day to day operations. Plus the off ice product, dog calendars, jersey design, TV crew appointees have been absolutely embarrassing.

L.A does need a fresh start in a lot of things but I am still willing to give Blake some leash.

By the way for the people clamoring for Futa he was here when DL (who I still love) crapped the bed and he has been here for the whole Blake reign so those that hated last few years of DL and think Blake is failing why would you want to touch Futa with a ten foot pole.

 

[BigKing]

Blake might not want the job anymore. I mean, they are just rumors but some of the rumors stated it wouldn't necessarily be a firing.

Perhaps he just wants to step away from it and do something that isn't as labor intensive.

 

[Ollie Weeks]

Why do you want to clean house but then promote a guy who has actually been in a position of significance when a lot of these terrible moves and draft picks were made?

That person in question was actually, funnily enough, Rob Blake.

 

[Bandit]

Why? It looks like all you did was list out anyone who played for the team and decide they must be fired. How can anyone here possibly be qualified to decide if Stoll or O'Donnell are good at their jobs in player development? Why does Mike Donnelly need to be fired? Why is Futa not also held at fault?

I think they should all go because they are in charge of developing our guys, and our guys haven't been able to score for shit for the last decade plus. Let's be real here, how much is Nelson Emerson's advice gonna boost your goal total?

 

[redcard]

I think they should all go because they are in charge of developing our guys, and our guys haven't been able to score for **** for the last decade plus. Let's be real here, how much is Nelson Emerson's advice gonna boost your goal total?

That just seems like assigning blame to everyone because we don't have the ability to actually assess who's to blame. And then what? We replace them with other people whom which we have no idea if they'll actually be any better?

 

[Bandit]

That just seems like assigning blame to everyone because we don't have the ability to actually assess who's to blame. And then what? We replace them with other people whom which we have no idea if they'll actually be any better?

True, but the only guarantee is that if you change nothing, nothing will change.

 

[redcard]

True, but the only guarantee is that if you change nothing, nothing will change.

I don't see that as applicable. The team/league is in constant state of motion. Roster, draft picks, you couldn't prevent change even if you tried. I just can't see how arbitrarily firing these guys is going to get us any closer when the team is currently exactly where we ought to have expected them to be.

 

[Bandit]

I don't see that as applicable. The team/league is in constant state of motion. Roster, draft picks, you couldn't prevent change even if you tried. I just can't see how arbitrarily firing these guys is going to get us any closer when the team is currently exactly where we ought to have expected them to be.

I'm not talking about this season only. At some point it becomes a trend and years and years of offensive ineptitude. Anyway, it's not a hill I'm gonna die on, but I'd be perfectly happy with 100% new blood at this point.

 

[Choralone]

I don't see that as applicable. The team/league is in constant state of motion. Roster, draft picks, you couldn't prevent change even if you tried. I just can't see how arbitrarily firing these guys is going to get us any closer when the team is currently exactly where we ought to have expected them to be.

But it makes us feel better, you see, because we actually do something bigly with a wave of the hand.

 

[KingsFan7824]

I think they should all go because they are in charge of developing our guys, and our guys haven't been able to score for **** for the last decade plus. Let's be real here, how much is Nelson Emerson's advice gonna boost your goal total?

Has advice from Gretzky ever made anyone's goal total increase? Especially when he was in a position of managerial authority. At some point, it comes down to the individual having talent. Draft better talent.

 

[DoktorJeep]

Why? It looks like all you did was list out anyone who played for the team and decide they must be fired. How can anyone here possibly be qualified to decide if Stoll or O'Donnell are good at their jobs in player development? Why does Mike Donnelly need to be fired? Why is Futa not also held at fault?

Why do you want O'Donnell and Stoll fired?

I’m on the fence as to whether Futa stays or goes. But if he goes as part of a larger house cleaning so be it.

As for why to decide to fire the group, it is obvious it is bloated. If you look at the four teams leading their divisions today, you’ll see they have 2-3 people in charge of player development. The Kings have 6. What are all those people doing? For that staff size, where are the results? From the outside it looks like a bunch of local ex players were given make work jobs.

 

[redcard]

I’m on the fence as to whether Futa stays or goes. But if he goes as part of a larger house cleaning so be it.

As for why to decide to fire the group, it is obvious it is bloated. If you look at the four teams leading their divisions today, you’ll see they have 2-3 people in charge of player development. The Kings have 6. What are all those people doing? For that staff size, where are the results? From the outside it looks like a bunch of local ex players were given make work jobs.

Yes, what are all those people doing? You're convinced they should be fired but how involved are they really? What are we paying them? What does it matter if other teams have fewer people with that job title if we have no idea what the day-to-day of each person entails? Is it their fault that we can't score goals? We have a coaching staff. Ontario has a coaching staff. Washington's player development staff is 3 ex-players who, combined, were outscored by Stoll. I still fail to see how anyone can legitimately assess these people's performance from the outside.

If these are just a bunch of local ex players given make work jobs then how exactly are they the reason we're in this position? Is it not just essentially job training so that they can maybe one day be coaches or administrators? Are they just then glorified interns? What would firing them accomplish?

We are where we are because we signed bad contracts, held on to bad players, traded draft picks for UFAs, and failed to hit on the picks we kept. Not because Jarret Stoll needs to be fired from his position of minor league faceoff tutor or whatever the hell he actually does.

 

[Herby]

Why? Why is Futa not also held at fault?

Futa really does deserve the “Teflon” nickname. His resume over the last decade or so makes his firing way more deserving than his promotion.

The drafting was pretty awful in his final years as scouting director and as AGM the organization has struggled on the ice and lacked a direction or philosophy. We can’t say for 100% certainty he hasn’t opposed a lot of stuff, but odds are he’s another person to attached to these players to make the effective changes. If Blake is gone they really really need to bring in someone who can evaluate the players without bias.

 

[Matt13]

Has advice from Gretzky ever made anyone's goal total increase?

Yanick Lehoux. He couldnt even make the Kings. He goes to Phoenix, 1 shift, 1 shot, 1 goal.

 

[DoktorJeep]

Yes, what are all those people doing? You're convinced they should be fired but how involved are they really? What are we paying them? What does it matter if other teams have fewer people with that job title if we have no idea what the day-to-day of each person entails? Is it their fault that we can't score goals? We have a coaching staff. Ontario has a coaching staff. Washington's player development staff is 3 ex-players who, combined, were outscored by Stoll. I still fail to see how anyone can legitimately assess these people's performance from the outside.

If these are just a bunch of local ex players given make work jobs then how exactly are they the reason we're in this position? Is it not just essentially job training so that they can maybe one day be coaches or administrators? Are they just then glorified interns? What would firing them accomplish?

We are where we are because we signed bad contracts, held on to bad players, traded draft picks for UFAs, and failed to hit on the picks we kept. Not because Jarret Stoll needs to be fired from his position of minor league faceoff tutor or whatever the hell he actually does.

I get your point of view and agree with your list of reasons for why the franchise is in the gutter. But I think not developing the players we have is also a major reason. Since 2014, the Kings have kept the following non goalie players drafted in the fourth round or earlier.

2014: Kempe R1, Amadio R3
2015: Wagner R4
2016: Clague R2, Moverare R4
2017: Vilardi R1, JAD R2, Anderson R4

Excusing Vilardi, none of them have shown any type of development growth that points to the Kings staff as the reason for success. Even the more recent guys have taken a step back in the AHL. Although I’m sure people will be quick to pin this on the players or the scouts, I think it’s fair to hold management accountable to a larger degree.

 

[redcard]

Yanick Lehoux. He couldnt even make the Kings. He goes to Phoenix, 1 shift, 1 shot, 1 goal.

I'll allow it.

 

[redcard]

I get your point of view and agree with your list of reasons for why the franchise is in the gutter. But I think not developing the players we have is also a major reason. Since 2014, the Kings have kept the following non goalie players drafted in the fourth round or earlier.

2014: Kempe R1, Amadio R3
2015: Wagner R4
2016: Clague R2, Moverare R4
2017: Vilardi R1, JAD R2, Anderson R4

Excusing Vilardi, none of them have shown any type of development growth that points to the Kings staff as the reason for success. Even the more recent guys have taken a step back in the AHL. Although I’m sure people will be quick to pin this on the players or the scouts, I think it’s fair to hold management accountable to a larger degree.

But that to me just highlights the the asset management and scouting issues. I'm going to ignore 2017 because I don't so how we could possibly assess what O'Donnell, Stoll et. al. have contributed or not contributed to their development. Moverare is playing in Sweden. So for the 3 drafts between 14-16 Kempe is the only 1st round pick and that was #29. Clague's the only 2nd round, Amadio the only 3rd, and Wagner the only 4th. We either traded the rest of the picks, traded the prospects we drafted before they spent any time in Ontario, or did not sign the drafted prospects.

I just can't see how we can blame the development staff when management hasn't put quality players in front of them for any meaningful amount of time.

 

[Bandit]

Has advice from Gretzky ever made anyone's goal total increase? Especially when he was in a position of managerial authority. At some point, it comes down to the individual having talent. Draft better talent.

If that is your position then there should be no player development coaches whatsoever.

 

[Jericho111091]

Regarding Futa, I'd argue the problem had less to do with his scouting and more with management being risk averse at the draft

 

[Rusty Batch]

I think that from when he started to right now, Blake has done a good job in theory. He's been able to aquire some picks. And most analysts seem to agree the picks have been very good. It's just going to come down to how many of these prospects we have are impact players.
I'm a little concerned with how some of the prospects from previous drafts have seemed to stall in their development for one reason or another.
I really think next season (20/21) should be our season to play a large number of the kids. And see where we are at.
I'd love to go into the following season (21/22) with a much better idea of specifically which prospects are potentially impact players and how many spots we have to fill, via FA and trades.
My Hope is that analysts like Scott Wheeler are right and that we already have 1st liners in our system (Turcotte+Kaliyev) top 6 players (Kupari, Vilardi, Fagemo) our next longterm G tandem (Petersen+Campbell) a legit top 4 D in Bjornfot.
And if so we have plenty more well developed depth prospects. To make a very cheap lineup for the next few years that could be supported with short term cheap depth FA's. And put ourselves in a position where it might make sense to add a big UFA or trade acquisition and be back in contention while we still have Kopi and Doughty playing at a high level.
All it really will take to make this a contending team is for most of the prospects to pan out like they are currently projected too and Blake has us in a much stronger position then most Kings fans are willing to admit we are in right now.

Now if these prospects aren't good enough to take roster spots from the guys we currently have. And we have to continue blindly moving forward with a rebuild built around prospects that can't beat out the Iafallos, Kempes, and Roy's of our current team. Then I am suddenly very concerned about what is going on with our rebuild.

An organization that stays in rebuild mode year after year is one that probably isn't drafting well. And you can't let management that does that just keep sticking around.

 

[Choralone]

Kings prospects?

 

[Dexter Sinister]

Kings prospects?

Gabriel Vealardi

 

[KINGS17]

Kings prospects?

Mmmm, veal.

 

[Statto]

This rumour about Blake seems to have zero traction anywhere apart for some wishful thinking on here. It seems to have little substance because other outlets will have been all over it, if it were true.