GDT: 2020-21 season game 39 LA Kings vs San Jose Sharks @7:30m 4/9/21

[johnjm22]

You know what DL did the first two years? He Let the kids play and focused on cleaning out the flunkies who ran the country club. By the time he swept out the crap, the kids figured out the nhl, despite whatever Coach was there, and were ready to actually make the playoffs. The rest was history.

I don't know about that.

One of the big philosophical things with DL was NOT throwing kids into the NHL right away. Taking time to let them develop. Being patient.

He brought in:
Blake (36)
Modry (35)
Heward (35)
Thornton (35)
Cloutier (3o)
McCauly (29)
Wilsie (28)
Handzus (30)
Calder (28)
Pressing (28)
Nagy (28)
Stuart (27)

Also had Armstrong (34) and Visnovsky (32) on the roster for the first few years.

By having all these vets, the Kings didn't have force prospects into the NHL right away.

The only rookies that played significant time in those first seasons were Johnson, O'Sullivan and Kopitar.

All the other youngish players on the roster were guys who had full NHL seasons under their bet before DL got here.

 

[DryIslandBartender]

He brought in:
Blake (36)
Modry (35)
Heward (35)
Thornton (35)
Cloutier (3o)
McCauly (29)
Wilsie (28)
Handzus (30)
Calder (28)
Pressing (28)
Nagy (28)
Stuart (27)

They were all bridge players, except Stuart. If Stuart stayed on the Kings, I doubt DL would have signed Mitchell.

 

[johnjm22]

Also had to wait six years for the first playoff series win. These rebuilds, they take time.

And the only reason it happened that quickly was because Kopitar was already in the system before DL got here.