BigKing
Blake Out of Hell III: Back in to Hell
Going to need the Zmolek trade removed from that list. C'mon now!
Kings have a nice long history of giving up on #1 dmen for relatively nothing
Faber isn’t gonna be Ray Bourque but Larry Murphy was a fun one too
I’d have a hard time saying it’s the worst trade in franchise history but as Fabers career plays out and Fialas fizzles it’s gonna get pretty far up the list on context alone if not raw ability
Pretty funny to see the copium being peddled at this point as if Blake deserves any last benefit of the doubt on really anything
It’s not a question of there being any reports. It’s just that strategy is something that would come from someone at a level above Blake. Granted that’s an extrapolation based on my experience in the corporate world and observation in a sporting context, but it bears out. GM’s get canned all the time, which signals a rebuilds all the time. The GM then gets recruited to do that job, carrying out the strategic directive they are given (contend, retool or rebuild). I’m sure the GM’s input into these decisions at times but it won’t be their final call.There has never been any reporting of any kind saying that, not from either organizational mouthpieces like Hoven or from independent journalists like Rosen. What we do know is that Robitaille and Blake both came to power pushing the idea to ownership that the team could still contend with 11 and 8, and seven years in they have produced as many series wins managing the team that you and I have, ZERO.
Plus, AEG has a history of allowing a slow and proper rebuild to occur, it happened under the previous regime, so why would AEG be so opposed to trying that strategy again? Why didn't they force Lombardi to try and contend? It's waaaaaaaaaay more likely that AEG is completely hands off and Blake and Luc have been given full autonomy to run the team as they wish and the only time we will hear from AEG is whenever the time comes for Dan Beckerman to come in with his Valyrian sword and take their heads.
I think they had this all planned out once it went off the rails in 2018-2019, they figured they could draft very high in the next three drafts and be able to add those guys to Doughty and AK while still in their somewhat primes and they could have contended in 22-23-24 before AK's contract ended, he was past his prime, and those guys needed to be signed to their big extensions. Instead their #2 overall pick developed extremely slowly and only had one 55 point season before his contract ended, their #5 pick has been arguably the worst pick in team history and has contributed basically nothing in 5 years, and their other pick, they (for whatever reason) have yet to trust at the NHL level, and played only a fraction of the games that was likely expected through three seasons in the organization of a pick that high.
Was that logic sound? Well they probably would have hit to immediately hit on all those picks for the plan to work, which is a tough task, because drafting is obviously an inexact science and it's tough to expect to go 3 for 3 in consecutive drafts. If they end up with Stutzle, Boldy and Power (just an example of ending up with 3 studs in 3 drafts) and hang on to Faber, are the Kings contenders any of the previous 3 seasons? Maybe, but again that requires batting 1000, which probably wasn't realistic. They needed to give themselves a margin of error in-case a pick like Turcotte was made, and they gave themselves none.
I guess it isn't as bad as trading future 50-goal scorer and two-time Stanley Cup champion Kevin Stevens to the Penguins for Anders Hakansson.Going to need the Zmolek trade removed from that list. C'mon now!
WHO'S CUTTING ONIONS IN HERE!?
Yeah, at the bare minimum Fiala is still playing regularly and one of the team's top producers.Surely you aren't foreign to the history of the team trading away first round picks like they were nothing?
Ron Grahame for a 1st (Ray Bourque)
Rick Martin for a 1st (Tom Barrasso)
Skip Krake for a 1st (Reggie Leach)
Jerry Korab for a 1st (Phil Housley)
Gerry Desjardins for two 1sts (Steve Shutt and Dick Redmond)
Bob Murdoch and Randy Rota for a 1st (Mario Tremblay)
Larry Murphy for Brian Engblom and Ken Houston
Butch Goring for Dave Lewis and Billy Harris
Alex Zhitnik for Grant Fuhr
Darryl Sydor for Doug Zmolek and Shane Churla
Milan Lucic for a 1st that would've likely been Mat Barzal or Kyle Connor (plus Martin Jones and Colin Miller).
All of these moves were far worse, as what the Kings got in return were short term players, and all of those listed were short-sighted moves.
The Kings traded away many picks that turned into Hall of Famers and Stanley Cup champions for many, many years. They also loved trading for over-the-hill players whose best years were far behind them, and achieved absolutely nothing as a result of all of these moves.
Hate on the trade all you want, but calling Faber for Fiala their worst trade in their history is something an uneducated person would say.
Yeah, at the bare minimum Fiala is still playing regularly and one of the team's top producers.
| February 14, 1995 |
IIRC, Boucher wasn't very good for most of those 7 seasons. When he finally hit his stride he was gone.The Zhitnik trade ended up being not that terrible because Phillippe Boucher end up turning into a solid NHL player and played parts of 7 seasons in LA.
Sad and interesting fact, Tsygurov passed away.
Charlie Huddy
Robb Stauber
Alexei Zhitnik
1995 5th round pick (#111-Marian Menhart) February 14, 1995
Challenged Lewis to a 100 yard dash and f***ing smoked him."My wife asked the Kings to give my son a shout out on Twitter. Trever Lewis offered to visit."
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Kings did not give up on Bourque. Boston received the 8th pick from the Kings and drafted Bourque. Larry Murphy was a different story. I remember management was unhappy with Murphy, though a very good offensive defensemen he made alot of bad decisions in his own end and they wanted a more reliable player like Engblom who was + 141 in a 2 year span. We had season tickets then and many Kings fans really gave Murphy a hard time. His rookie year with the Triple Crown Line they were an exciting team and actually had 99 points that year. But just imagine if the Kings did draft Bourque and not traded Murphy the 80's would have added to the best decade of my life.Kings have a nice long history of giving up on #1 dmen for relatively nothing
Faber isn’t gonna be Ray Bourque but Larry Murphy was a fun one too
I’d have a hard time saying it’s the worst trade in franchise history but as Fabers career plays out and Fialas fizzles it’s gonna get pretty far up the list on context alone if not raw ability
Pretty funny to see the copium being peddled at this point as if Blake deserves any last benefit of the doubt on really anything
There was a story back in the day that Murphy had backed down from a fight and it pissed off someone in management, or something close to that.Kings did not give up on Bourque. Boston received the 8th pick from the Kings and drafted Bourque. Larry Murphy was a different story. I remember management was unhappy with Murphy, though a very good offensive defensemen he made alot of bad decisions in his own end and they wanted a more reliable player like Engblom who was + 141 in a 2 year span. We had season tickets then and many Kings fans really gave Murphy a hard time. His rookie year with the Triple Crown Line they were an exciting team and actually had 99 points that year. But just imagine if the Kings did draft Bourque and not traded Murphy the 80's would have added to the best decade of my life.
What they got in return is equivalent to trading Brandt Clarke for Niko Mikkola and Evan Rodrigues, except Larry Murphy was a proven player who still holds the record for most points in a season by a Kings defenseman, and he went on to win four Stanley Cups.Larry Murphy went to arbitration.
Larry Murphy submitted a number. The Kings submitted a number.
The arbitrator came back with a number lower than what the Kings had submitted.
Murphy told the team to trade him.
They traded him.
A trip to Chuck E. Cheese and a few games of skeeball would have erased all of the animosity and everyone would have been friends againLarry Murphy went to arbitration.
Larry Murphy submitted a number. The Kings submitted a number.
The arbitrator came back with a number lower than what the Kings had submitted.
Murphy told the team to trade him.
They traded him.
What they got in return is equivalent to trading Brandt Clarke for Niko Mikkola and Evan Rodrigues, except Larry Murphy was a proven player who still holds the record for most points in a season by a Kings defenseman, and he went on to win four Stanley Cups.
The Kings also didn't have to trade Murphy, but in traditional George Maguire fashion, the drunkard got bent over in that deal.
He trading of PLD was the the largest single contract to be traded in NHL history.I think Faber is the highest paid player Rob Blake has ever drafted. Only took 8 years. Great job Blakey!
The Zhitnik trade ended up being not that terrible because Phillippe Boucher end up turning into a solid NHL player and played parts of 7 seasons in LA.
Sad and interesting fact, Tsygurov passed away.
Charlie Huddy
Robb Stauber
Alexei Zhitnik
1995 5th round pick (#111-Marian Menhart) February 14, 1995
What it really?He trading of PLD was the the largest single contract to be traded in NHL history.