2019-20 Kings News/Rumors

[DryIslandBartender]

For sure, course corrections were necessary, but they still got there. I think Kings executives prior to Lombardi would have force fed Bernier, and we may have never seen Quick get a real opportunity to shine. One of the best things Dean did along the way was force the players he drafted to earn their spot on the roster.

DL hired Ranford who really got on Quick to show up at practice on time and develop a work ethic where his abilities could shine.

 

[Albi]

How Kubalik Became a Blackhawk

Now shoot me

 

[BigBrown]

How Kubalik Became a Blackhawk

Now shoot me

Thanks, as much as I love following the same Dean Lombardi discussion over and over again it's time to go back to talking about Kubalik. Who knows, after a week or two hopefully we go back to Lombardi. Fingers crossed!

 

[BigKing]

So he wouldn't sign or was he not in the Kings plans?

 

[KINGS17]

How Kubalik Became a Blackhawk

Now shoot me

I don't think Kubalik wanted to sign in LA. The Kings probably were not playing a style that he felt favored his game.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Even that article mentions that the Kings and Blake were interested in bringing him over. Gee, I wonder why that didn't end up happening.

 

[YP44]

So he wouldn't sign or was he not in the Kings plans?

depends if it is the blackhawks or the kings writers

 

[Johnny Utah]

Blake

When Lombardi arrived in L.A. he made plenty of gaffs:

-Hired the wrong coach. Had to fire him two years later.

-Completely miscalculated the "New" NHL. Thought it was going to be all about skating and offense. Thus he drafted Hickey.

-Gave up a 2nd and a 3rd for Dan Cloutier while immediately giving him a contract extension.

-Gave Preissing a 4 year contract. Total bust. Nagy and Calder contracts.

-Sat on assets like Visnovsky and Cammalleri and didn't trade them til their values dropped.

Can you imagine how DoktorJeep and the brigade would react if Blake made some of these errors?

Ultimately it doesn't matter if a GM makes mistakes as long as he has the ship steered in the right direction. Mistakes are inevitable. Lombardi had us steered in the right direction despite the above, and Blake has steered things in the right direction since he got here.

Lomardi was able to move Pressing in the Smyth deal.

How did the value drop on Vish and Cammy? He got quite a bit for both - too bad he blew the first he got for Cammy.

Blake is already on his third coach. He traded a former first rounder in Pearson who is having a great season in Vancouver, let's not get started on Kovy or Kubalik.

 

[Telos]

Regardless, I doubt he'd have the same success here that he does in Chicago. In the end, you can't sign them all, we have a decent crop of prospects now and not all of them are going to make it or find their success on this team. Just gotta keep drafting well, retain our picks, and make the most of it...

 

[YP44]

Regardless, I doubt he'd have the same success here that he does in Chicago. In the end, you can't sign them all, we have a decent crop of prospects now and not all of them are going to make it or find their success on this team. Just gotta keep drafting well, retain our picks, and make the most of it...

yup, I look at it as turning a 7th round pick into a 5th

 

[Matt13]

yup, I look at it as turning a 7th round pick into a 5th

Glass half full kinda guy!

 

[Little Psycho]

 

[YP44]

Glass half full kinda guy!

depends on the day

 

[KINGS17]

Dean Lombardi is more a finisher than a builder. If I were a team that has been struggling to get over the hump (Tor,TB, Cgy) or a team just about to enter a SC window (Fla,Van) I would be all over bringing him in, he showed an ability to add the final pieces to put a team over the top.

But for a team like the Kings in 2017? No chance. AEG made the right move, it was time to find a GM who was going to be able to add key pieces through the draft, something DL just wasn’t able to do in his time in LA. Not to mention he was way to attached emotionally to a lot of the players.

Given the history of how things went down, I think this can be regarded as a fair assessment.

Dean did a good job of stockpiling young assets early on in O'Sullivan, Johnson, Simmonds, etc. that would be used later to acquire key players for the Stanley Cup championship teams. All of those assets I mentioned came by means of a trade. People were shocked when Dean traded the Kings best forward in Demitra for O'Sullivan. Will Blake make a move this bold? Probably not.

 

[Peter James Bond II]

Even that article mentions that the Kings and Blake were interested in bringing him over. Gee, I wonder why that didn't end up happening.

I just think the Kings were so into the heavy game mantra and probably no overly excited about projecting if Kubalik could fit their system. I bet if he was more of an aggressive
player and thrived on some board play, perhaps they would have put more of an effort to signing him.

We've all read the stories about Kings staff going to Manitoba, North Dakota, Minnesota, (etc etc) and meeting with Ladue and his family...Brickley, and several others
that were in college and still had college year or 2 left, or college free agents they were going after - some serious pursuit. Makes you wonder if they had this approach
to signing Kubalik, they could have gotten him to sign.

You also recall last year, Futa saying, regarding Pro, "maybe we need to really need to sign him and get him over here" something to that affect. Like, they
didn't have that seriousness, when it was Kubalik. It was like there was a shift in thinking, when Futa stated that...and the former thinking was
to not be serious regarding Kubalik.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

People who attended one of the "State of the Franchise" meetings for season ticket holders mentioned that in one of the charts that Blake showed, they had Kubalik penciled in for a top six spot in future line projections. They had plans to bring him over and to use him in a top six role. But plans change when that player doesn't want to sign here.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

11. There was NHL interest in CSKA Moscow’s Nikita Nesterov, who played 132 games with Tampa Bay and Montreal from 2014–15 to 2016–17. (I think the Kings were one of the clubs nosing around.) But there is word he will sign a long-term deal in Russia.

 

[Frolov 6'3]

-Gave up a 2nd and a 3rd for Dan Cloutier while immediately giving him a contract extension.

That was just laughable. Everyone knew Cloutier was horrible and we gave up a 2nd and 3rd. No suprise we never saw Crawford as head coach again after his last stint in Dallas.

This and the Lucic trade (I immediately called it) were just ridiculous. LA barely missed the playoffs and we had the chance to draft a very good player and make the playoffs right again.

Lombardi thought it was a wise idea to trade Jones (who was traded right away for a 1st) , the 13th overall and Colin Miller who was killing the AHL at that moment for a player we couldnt re-sign because of the cap.

Well done Dean !

It still pisses me off.

 

[YP44]

I'd be more interested in Zub

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

 

[kingsholygrail]

That was just laughable. Everyone knew Cloutier was horrible and we gave up a 2nd and 3rd. No suprise we never saw Crawford as head coach again after his last stint in Dallas.

This and the Lucic trade (I immediately called it) were just ridiculous. LA barely missed the playoffs and we had the chance to draft a very good player and make the playoffs right again.

Lombardi thought it was a wise idea to trade Jones (who was traded right away for a 1st) , the 13th overall and Colin Miller who was killing the AHL at that moment for a player we couldnt re-sign because of the cap.

Well done Dean !

It still pisses me off.

Because trading a player that's not going to re-sign with you because he doesn't want to be a backup is totally unwise. Shoulda let him walk for nothing. But hey, notice any Sharks fans gloating about giving up a first for Jones? lol Not anymore.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Because trading a player that's not going to re-sign with you because he doesn't want to be a backup is totally unwise. Shoulda let him walk for nothing. But hey, notice any Sharks fans gloating about giving up a first for Jones? lol Not anymore.

How would they lose Jones for nothing? He was a RFA. The Kings sure could’ve used that extra first, but some foolish GMs refuse to trade within their own division.

 

[Frolov 6'3]

Because trading a player that's not going to re-sign with you because he doesn't want to be a backup is totally unwise. Shoulda let him walk for nothing. But hey, notice any Sharks fans gloating about giving up a first for Jones? lol Not anymore.

Than you trade him in another deal. He gave him away and was a RFA too.

 

[Bandit]

Cloutier enabled the rebuild that led to 2 cups that Lombardi wanted from the beginning but ownership was against. We should erect a shrine to that deal, not still be whinging about it.

 

[Little Psycho]