Around the League 2024-25 season

[Axl Rhoadz]

Which would prove what? That the problem all along was roster construction (bad trades, unbalanced lines, lack of toughness/size, questionable top picks, etc.) by the FO/GM and moving out of the rebuild too soon -- yeah big surprise (said no-one). It's Bluc...and it's always been Bluc.

Oh really? Pretty sure the old-boys club around here was calling for Todd's head on a daily basis...who the F are you kidding?

 

[BaileyFan]

No surprise there, none. I'm sure he could've done something even more heinous and blatant with no repercussions, that's just how it be for upper echelon players and individuals. Reminds me a lot of how hyper wealthy ghouls get away with absolutely anything because they can buy their way out of trouble. I love Kempe even more for slew footing this f***.

The fans wanted NBA style superstar rules and they got them. Oiler fans were howling that Johansson wasn’t given an embellishment and delay of game double minor on the play.

It’s why these Kings-Oilers series are so disheartening. Not only do they get an easy 1st round bye every year, they don’t have to pay any price for it physically. Kings play the stay-out-of-the-box game religiously and still get the piss beat out of them anyway. At least Game 3 last year they tried to goon it up when they were getting their backs blown out.

 

[Herby]

Oh really? Pretty sure the old-boys club around here was calling for Todd's head on a daily basis...who the F are you kidding?

Not all of us. Todd and Hiller did exactly what any reasonable hockey mind would do if this was the roster they were given by the front-office, which is to play the most defensive style in the NHL in hopes of grinding out 3-2 and 2-1 wins. The reason this team has had no playoff success to speak of in the last seven years falls on Rob Blake and Luc Robitaille and the roster they have constructed, not on coaches, assistant coaches, PP coaches etc.

I think Todd should have won the coach of the year in 2022 and I think Hiller should be in consideration this year. Unfortunately, as we have seen the previous years, playing this style is not only not optimal with the way the game is played in the 2020's, but it also wears everyone down by the time the playoffs start (especially the older guys). But the 1990's style dead-puck team is what BLuc wants, so what can a coach be expected to do but play that?

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I think Hiller's done enough with this roster that he's earned another job in the NHL somewhere no matter what happens at this point. And good on him, he's paid his dues.

 

[Herby]

I think Hiller's done enough with this roster that he's earned another job in the NHL somewhere no matter what happens at this point. And good on him, he's paid his dues.

Agreed 100%.

If he could get a more talented team with actual finishers to buy into this system I could easily see him having great championship level success. The Kings are one of the better defensive teams in recent memory, and that is without their best defensive player playing. If this team could find a way to score four goals a game in say 32-34 games a year (a little less than Vegas has) instead of the the 27 times a year they are on pace for, they would be a Presidents Trophy contending team, because the Kings are 13-0-1 when they score 4 goals. That is why it's reality and not MMQB (as Surfin Axl says) to bring up just how much the pathetic ROI of the top picks has hurt this teams ceiling.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

Not all of us. Todd and Hiller did exactly what any reasonable hockey mind would do if this was the roster they were given by the front-office, which is to play the most defensive style in the NHL in hopes of grinding out 3-2 and 2-1 wins. The reason this team has had no playoff success to speak of in the last seven years falls on Rob Blake and Luc Robitaille and the roster they have constructed, not on coaches, assistant coaches, PP coaches etc.

I think Todd should have won the coach of the year in 2022 and I think Hiller should be in consideration this year. Unfortunately, as we have seen the previous years, playing this style is not only not optimal with the way the game is played in the 2020's, but it also wears everyone down by the time the playoffs start (especially the older guys). But the 1990's style dead-puck team is what BLuc wants, so what can a coach be expected to do but play that?

Kind of ironic that I still get abused around here almost daily for supporting the guy and now we have the heavy hitters coming out saying 'I supported him too!' Hey @Sol, next time you want to throw out a Todd-fellatio reference, maybe you can direct it at Herby other than me, thx.

 

[Herby]

Kind of ironic that I still get abused around here almost daily for supporting the guy and now we have the heavy hitters coming out saying 'I supported him too!' Hey @Sol, next time you want to throw out a Todd-fellatio reference, maybe you can direct it at Herby other than me, thx.

Axl, I am not just now "coming out in support of Todd" , you can check my posts in 2022, I thought he should have been a Jack Adams finalist at the minimum, and probably should have won it. He took a team devoid of talent, and without it's 2nd best player and made the playoffs. Did he hav e some questionable decisions? Yes, but every coach does, Sutter had the corpse of Richards as a 2C to begin the playoffs in 2014 and had Kyle Clifford once go out as an extra attacker.

He proved to be a solid NHL coach in previous stops and did a good job here with the poor roster he was given by BLuc. People bitched about the 1-3-1, but what did they expect, you have to play to your strengths and personnel, expecting the Kings to open it up would be like expecting Iowa or Navy football to play the air-raid offense.

He reached the end of his shelf life and was correctly fired in what should have (but unfortunately wasn't) BLuc's last stand managing this team.

If Sol or anyone else that you and your alter-ego SN claim is part of the "Good Old Boys Club, that all agree with each other" want to debate me on the job Todd did, I would happily engage,

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

Axl, I am not just now "coming out in support of Todd" , you can check my posts in 2022, I thought he should have been a Jack Adams finalist at the minimum, and probably should have won it. He took a team devoid of talent, and without it's 2nd best player and made the playoffs. Did he hav e some questionable decisions? Yes, but every coach does, Sutter had the corpse of Richards as a 2C to begin the playoffs in 2014 and had Kyle Clifford once go out as an extra attacker.

He proved to be a solid NHL coach in previous stops and did a good job here with the poor roster he was given by BLuc. People bitched about the 1-3-1, but what did they expect, you have to play to your strengths and personnel, expecting the Kings to open it up would be like expecting Iowa or Navy football to play the air-raid.

He reached the end of his shelf life and was correctly fired in what should have (but unfortunately wasn't) BLuc's last stand managing this team.

If Sol or anyone else that you and your alter-ego SN claim is part of the "Good Old Boys Club, that all agree with each other" want to debate me on the job Todd did, I would happily engage,

Oh @Sol, please accept challenge! I don’t always agree with ole Herby, but have no doubt he will destroy you (not that it would be difficult).

 

[Herby]

Oh @Sol, please accept challenge! I don’t always agree with ole Herby, but have no doubt he will destroy you (not that it would be difficult).

Who needs to destroy anybody? I have disagreed with many of the people you claim are part of this "Good Old Boys Club". It's amazing how sane adults like myself and Sol, RJ, BigKing, bland, KP can have disagreements on something to do with the hockey team we support without calling them "fake fans" because of where we live, telling them to "go cheer for the Ducks" or getting our accounts banned time and time again.

 

[King'sPawn]

Axl, I am not just now "coming out in support of Todd" , you can check my posts in 2022, I thought he should have been a Jack Adams finalist at the minimum, and probably should have won it. He took a team devoid of talent, and without it's 2nd best player and made the playoffs. Did he hav e some questionable decisions? Yes, but every coach does, Sutter had the corpse of Richards as a 2C to begin the playoffs in 2014 and had Kyle Clifford once go out as an extra attacker.

He proved to be a solid NHL coach in previous stops and did a good job here with the poor roster he was given by BLuc. People bitched about the 1-3-1, but what did they expect, you have to play to your strengths and personnel, expecting the Kings to open it up would be like expecting Iowa or Navy football to play the air-raid offense.

He reached the end of his shelf life and was correctly fired in what should have (but unfortunately wasn't) BLuc's last stand managing this team.

If Sol or anyone else that you and your alter-ego SN claim is part of the "Good Old Boys Club, that all agree with each other" want to debate me on the job Todd did, I would happily engage,

Agreed.

I feel it was Todd's time with the org's direction, and he had issues (like any coach) - but many of us acknowledged that he was more acting under the direction of Blake, which is why we've been calling for Blake's tenure to end.

I would have been okay with giving Todd more time if the Kings committed to a rebuild. I'm okay with giving Hiller time under a Kings rebuild. I like both coaches and think they are actually very thoughtful. Blake's gone all in several seasons in a row. I'm not okay with him getting more time if there's not more playoff success.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

Who needs to destroy anybody? I have disagreed with many of the people you claim are part of this "Good Old Boys Club". It's amazing how sane adults like myself and Sol, RJ, BigKing, bland, KP can have disagreements on something to do with the hockey team we support without calling them "fake fans" because of where we live, telling them to "go cheer for the Ducks" or getting our accounts banned time and time again.

'Sane'...lol, good one. I'd use the word 'miserable' before I used 'fake'...you must be confusing me with someone else.

 

[Omni Owl]

Axl, I am not just now "coming out in support of Todd" , you can check my posts in 2022, I thought he should have been a Jack Adams finalist at the minimum, and probably should have won it. He took a team devoid of talent, and without it's 2nd best player and made the playoffs. Did he hav e some questionable decisions? Yes, but every coach does, Sutter had the corpse of Richards as a 2C to begin the playoffs in 2014 and had Kyle Clifford once go out as an extra attacker.

He proved to be a solid NHL coach in previous stops and did a good job here with the poor roster he was given by BLuc. People bitched about the 1-3-1, but what did they expect, you have to play to your strengths and personnel, expecting the Kings to open it up would be like expecting Iowa or Navy football to play the air-raid offense.

He reached the end of his shelf life and was correctly fired in what should have (but unfortunately wasn't) BLuc's last stand managing this team.

If Sol or anyone else that you and your alter-ego SN claim is part of the "Good Old Boys Club, that all agree with each other" want to debate me on the job Todd did, I would happily engage,

I can't believe you're wasting brain power responding to this guy, do yourself a favor and ignore.

 

[Schrute farms]

Oh really? Pretty sure the old-boys club around here was calling for Todd's head on a daily basis...who the F are you kidding?

The last year of Tmac -- sure. Everyone was calling for it throughout the NHL. And guess what -- so did management when they fired the dude.
Some wanted him gone after the 2nd failed Oiler series -- which is understandable considering his bizarre lineups and utilization at important times.
Again, Tmac is a great regular season coach and guy who can turn a dumpster fire into a 5-8 seed playoff team. Especially if you have a lot of veteran guys on the team (not a team of 18-22 yr olds).
He is NOT a guy who hire to win the Cup.

Can’t believe people are still willing to interact with this sad psychotic troll. Just put him on ignore. This board is much better when you turn off the diarrhea faucet.

believe me -- i regret it 3 seconds afterwards every single time when trying to interact with those two self-proclaimed hall-monitor clowns.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

The last year of Tmac -- sure. Everyone was calling for it throughout the NHL. And guess what -- so did management when they fired the dude.
Some wanted him gone after the 2nd failed Oiler series -- which is understandable considering his bizarre lineups and utilization at important times.
Again, Tmac is a great regular season coach and guy who can turn a dumpster fire into a 5-8 seed playoff team. Especially if you have a lot of veteran guys on the team (not a team of 18-22 yr olds).
He is NOT a guy who hire to win the Cup.


believe me -- i regret it 3 seconds afterwards every single time when trying to interact with those two self-proclaimed hall-monitor clowns.

Tell @Maynard I had him on ignore first.

 

[BaileyFan]

Kind of ironic that I still get abused around here almost daily for supporting the guy and now we have the heavy hitters coming out saying 'I supported him too!' Hey @Sol, next time you want to throw out a Todd-fellatio reference, maybe you can direct it at Herby other than me, thx.

“Abused”

Holy shit.

 

[Sol]

Oh @Sol, please accept challenge! I don’t always agree with ole Herby, but have no doubt he will destroy you (not that it would be difficult).

How many playoffs games did Todd win as the coach? He’s a shit coach who can’t adjust in the playoffs to save his life. Didn’t even win ONE match up in the playoffs and lost convincingly time and time again to Jay Woodcroft and got outcoached by him.

I don’t care if the Wings are doing good at the moment. New coaching change always tends to do that. The same way the oilers became much better the second they canned Todd.

You can keep fantasizing about him, but he’s a loser through and through. Years of failure with some of the most stacked teams in NHL history doesn’t get overlooked by 10 regular season games. I’m sure it’s hard for you to see how that’s possible lmao

He may be a decent regular season coach but he’s a bum his entire career.

 

[King'sPawn]

How many playoffs games did Todd win as the coach? He’s a shit coach who can’t adjust in the playoffs to save his life. Didn’t even win ONE match up in the playoffs and lost convincingly time and time again to Jay Woodcroft and got outcoached by him.

I don’t care if the Wings are doing good at the moment. New coaching change always tends to do that. The same way the oilers became much better the second they canned Todd.

You can keep fantasizing about him, but he’s a loser through and through. Years of failure with some of the most stacked teams in NHL history doesn’t get overlooked by 10 regular season games. I’m sure it’s hard for you to see how that’s possible lmao

He may be a decent regular season coach but he’s a bum his entire career.

McLellan's inability to adjust during the playoffs with the Kings is a valid complaint. When you are playing the same team seven times, your system either works reliably or it doesn't. And if it doesn't, you need to change the approach or adapt.

But when he has the chance to work with young players, he does a good job. I think he had a good part on Leon Draisaitl breaking out, considering his pedestrian D+1/D+2 as a 3rd overall pick. He was also there for a chunk of Joe Pavelski's young professional career. Logan Couture, too. If you want to look locally - Adrian Kempe started taking off and becoming an all-around player under McLellan.

He's not a player whisperer, but he does have a history of young players playing well over time with him, and he did take the Sharks to the conference finals multiple times.

But to me, this goes back to the internal belief with the Kings that, up until Laferriere, they have an inherent behavior of slow-boiling prospects. It happened under Stevens and Desjardins as well - they ride the vets. Young players can step in if there's an injury or a player plays himself off the team.

He's respected around the league, gets big contracts, and doesn't stay unemployed long for good reason. He's a good but flawed coach who failed to meet managerial expectations, and his time was up.

The Kings had issues before McLellan and they seem to be doing better/making adjustments after McLellan. But I think it's fair to say he wasn't the problem.

 

[Sol]

McLellan's inability to adjust during the playoffs with the Kings is a valid complaint. When you are playing the same team seven times, your system either works reliably or it doesn't. And if it doesn't, you need to change the approach or adapt.

But when he has the chance to work with young players, he does a good job. I think he had a good part on Leon Draisaitl breaking out, considering his pedestrian D+1/D+2 as a 3rd overall pick. He was also there for a chunk of Joe Pavelski's young professional career. Logan Couture, too. If you want to look locally - Adrian Kempe started taking off and becoming an all-around player under McLellan.

He's not a player whisperer, but he does have a history of young players playing well over time with him, and he did take the Sharks to the conference finals multiple times.

But to me, this goes back to the internal belief with the Kings that, up until Laferriere, they have an inherent behavior of slow-boiling prospects. It happened under Stevens and Desjardins as well - they ride the vets. Young players can step in if there's an injury or a player plays himself off the team.

He's respected around the league, gets big contracts, and doesn't stay unemployed long for good reason. He's a good but flawed coach who failed to meet managerial expectations, and his time was up.

The Kings had issues before McLellan and they seem to be doing better/making adjustments after McLellan. But I think it's fair to say he wasn't the problem.

No Oilers fan ever attributed the rise of Draisaitl to McLellan. They actually blame McLellan for their slow rise instead. McLellan has been a benefactor of coaching stacked teams that cant be glossed over. A coach is only as good as their system and that is it. I think to say that he "wasn't the problem" is ignoring monumental failures of him as a coach. He still is the most recent coach in NHL history to get reverse swept and on top of that the Kings in the playoffs have been an abject failure with him at the helm. I do think hes an OK coach for bad teams but his failures as a coach are far too spectacular for me to give him any more credit or consideration. He's been lucky to have great talents under him and I don't attribute Kempe's success or any others to Todd. Good players find a way and Kempe went out of his way to train his shot personally. Even Joe Pavelski has been a fantastic player anywhere he's been at his current age. I wouldn't dare classify Pavelskis success to McLellan. I'd attribute that to himself.

I'd even classify Byfield's extremely slow progress to the fact that Todd treated him like a moron and gave him no rope.