Boris the Bullet-dodger, aka Dean Lombardi 2012-14

[BallPointHammer]

In hindsight my philosophy is simply 'fate.' Some team is going to win the cup and be a good story. How would we feel now if the Kings lost in the finals one or both times? Does what did happen make Lombardi a genius or is the plan he implemented, executed and believed in make him probably the best thing to ever happen to the Los Angeles Kings and their fans? Whatever, its a lot more fun to talk about when you're the winner.

 

[johnjm22]

Remember Lombardi filling the team with tweener UFA vets? The team was very disappointing and Lombardi was able to convince ownership to give him full control and to rebuild even though AEG needed to fill Staples and the new LA Live.

What was disappointing about that team? They were bad as expected.

We used 7 different goaltenders that season.

The rebuild was already underway before that season.

 

[Sol]

I don't remember Fraser being anything special.. He was a fourth liner with no skill, and no fighting ability. Can't really quantify character so I can't say if he had it or not

 

[Legionnaire]

Justin Williams won with Carolina and Rob Scuderi won with Pittsburgh.

Yeah, you're right. I don't know why I forgot Scuds and Willie.

 

[Legionnaire]

It seemed trivial at the time, but having one of your cup winners, playing on the 4th line, come out and score the first goal of the final was huge. I never really even thought about that until watching the replays months later.

Right?!? That was huge Tiny Elvis!

 

[kingsfan28]

Then there's trading Johnson, who was supposed to be a huge acquisition for us. Instead when he was dealt, Voynov emerged.


Another one was whiffing on the O'Sullivan for Williams trade...we had to do the trade twice and at the additional cost of a 2nd but Williams was great, re-signed for a discount and Conn Smythed his way into hockey history in the last year of that discount deal.

You can thank the great reporting of Rich Hammond for mucking up that deal. Pretty much put an end to any future as a Kings reporter right there. I'm glad he's gone. I couldn't stand his snarky reporting, like he was trying to be Helen, Helan, Helene Elliott 2.0 or something.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

He pushed all the right buttons using both the farm AND the roster until we hit emergency mode. I mean, trading Johnson for Carter and getting a net upgrade in Voynov? Like, someone asked the question 'what if we lost in the Final those years," and I would pose "what was the team missing that we would have been considered a failure?" Elite 1C, 1D, 1G, elite support structure, no real 'weak links,' though I guess you can assume one if we lost...he was a brilliant architect that didn't have failures until the roster failed him back (due to either age, ability, or stupidity, very few that were easy to predict).

I don't remember Fraser being anything special.. He was a fourth liner with no skill, and no fighting ability. Can't really quantify character so I can't say if he had it or not

Wouldn't go that far. He helped center the first semblance of a fourth line we had in years. Decent skill. Certainly not above average by any stretch of the imagination but an experienced fourth liner who could pop in points (including a Final goal) and play in all situations while not being a liability...not sure you can ask more from a trade throw-in.

 

[kingsboy11]

I remember years ago back in 2009 that ESPN had reported that the Kings were involved in a 3 way trade with the Sharks and Senators where Stoll and Frolov would go to the Sens, Heatley would go to the Sharks and Marleau would go to the Kings. Obviously that didn't happen, but if that trade goes through it would've been interesting to see how that would have affected the team. I remember being upset because I really liked Frolov at the time

 

[KingsOfCali25]

You can make any bad situation good.

Like...DL picking Hickey with the 4th OA pick instead of Alnzer (which was the better prospect). At the 2013 training camp, there was a 3 player battle (Muzzin, Hickey, Martinez) for 2 spots on the Kings. If Dean would have picked Alzner @ 4th OA instead of the always injured and less talented Hickey...would have lead to losing one of Martinez or Muzzin because Alzner would have already been on LA's roster before 2013. And we all know how big of roles both Muzzin and Martinez played in the 2014 playoffs.

 

[Herby]

Lombardi was extremely lucky early in his tenure, he inherited a team with a future Hall of Fame #1 center and a future world class goalie. A lot of potential bad moves were avoided such as the free agent misses and $myth wanting to leave. It's like playing a poker tourney with a big stack.

On the flip side he was extremely unlucky towards the end. Richards went from being a Canadian Olympian and prob top 25 player in the league to complete crap basically overnight. Voynov who was on his way to being an excellent #2 RH dman beats up his wife and is lost for nothing. And just as it's easier to make moves with a big stack it's easier to lose it all with a short stack and that's what Dean did with the Richards decision, Lucic and Sekera.

 

[kingsfan28]

You can make any bad situation good.

Like...DL picking Hickey with the 4th OA pick instead of Alnzer (which was the better prospect). At the 2013 training camp, there was a 3 player battle (Muzzin, Hickey, Martinez) for 2 spots on the Kings. If Dean would have picked Alzner @ 4th OA instead of the always injured and less talented Hickey...would have lead to losing one of Martinez or Muzzin because Alzner would have already been on LA's roster before 2013. And we all know how big of roles both Muzzin and Martinez played in the 2014 playoffs.

Alzner definitely would've been playing already but most likely traded to improve the team. Dean's first draft and he went for need, not the best player available, and neither of those were [aside from Alzner being the highest rated dman].

The real dick punch in the 2007 draft was the Blackhawks winning the lotto and picking 1st instead of 5th. Changed their franchise around in two drafts.

 

[Rorschach]

What was disappointing about that team? They were bad as expected.

We used 7 different goaltenders that season.

The rebuild was already underway before that season.

It was disappointing because the team was not trying to rebuild when DL first got here. It wasn't until he got ownership's ok that he traded away guys like Norstrom and Visnovsky.

 

[Rorschach]

Lombardi was extremely lucky early in his tenure, he inherited a team with a future Hall of Fame #1 center and a future world class goalie. A lot of potential bad moves were avoided such as the free agent misses and $myth wanting to leave. It's like playing a poker tourney with a big stack.

On the flip side he was extremely unlucky towards the end. Richards went from being a Canadian Olympian and prob top 25 player in the league to complete crap basically overnight. Voynov who was on his way to being an excellent #2 RH dman beats up his wife and is lost for nothing. And just as it's easier to make moves with a big stack it's easier to lose it all with a short stack and that's what Dean did with the Richards decision, Lucic and Sekera.

I agree overall with the gist of this but I don't believe the Taylor-run organization would have developed these two players into as big of stars as they are now. I believe two coaching hires shaped these two prospects into the players they are now in Terry Murray for Kopitar and Bill Ranford for Quick. Under Taylor we never developed in house a single first line forward or goalie. Taylor traded or signed UFAs for those. We were able to develop a couple of defensemen but that's it.

 

[KINGS17]

Lombardi was extremely lucky early in his tenure, he inherited a team with a future Hall of Fame #1 center and a future world class goalie. A lot of potential bad moves were avoided such as the free agent misses and $myth wanting to leave. It's like playing a poker tourney with a big stack.

On the flip side he was extremely unlucky towards the end. Richards went from being a Canadian Olympian and prob top 25 player in the league to complete crap basically overnight. Voynov who was on his way to being an excellent #2 RH dman beats up his wife and is lost for nothing. And just as it's easier to make moves with a big stack it's easier to lose it all with a short stack and that's what Dean did with the Richards decision, Lucic and Sekera.

I wouldn't say extremely lucky. He had several missteps and was fortunate some of the fast forward moves ownership wanted him to make didn't pan out. All of the big UFA moves the Kings organization wanted to make, other than Chara and Hossa, would have been colossal flops.

The Taylor regime likely would have rushed Bernier and passed on Quick. It's just my opinion, but it's how things were done under Taylor's leadership. Terry Murray never would have been hired, and Sutter would never have come to LA. Those two coaching hires were key to establishing the right mindset.

Bottom line, the Lombardi hire put an end to the former Kings player organizational nepotism which had been the bane of the franchise for 40+ years. Now it has returned and I doubt it will be a good thing.

Luck is when opportunity meets preparation. Lombardi was prepared with the assets necessary to make the right deals at the right time. Lombardi wasn't lucky. He pulled the trigger at exactly the right time with the trades he made to acquire Greene, Stoll, Williams, Richards, Carter, and Gaborik. He took well calculated risks with Scuderi and Mitchell.

Give Lombardi credit where credit is due. It's a shame he couldn't be more calculating in maintaining what was built.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I agree overall with the gist of this but I don't believe the Taylor-run organization would have developed these two players into as big of stars as they are now. I believe two coaching hires shaped these two prospects into the players they are now in Terry Murray for Kopitar and Bill Ranford for Quick. Under Taylor we never developed in house a single first line forward or goalie. Taylor traded or signed UFAs for those. We were able to develop a couple of defensemen but that's it.

I think the biggest thing DL doesn't get much credit for is developing the behind-the-scenes of the organization, including the development and training.

 

[Herby]

I agree overall with the gist of this but I don't believe the Taylor-run organization would have developed these two players into as big of stars as they are now. I believe two coaching hires shaped these two prospects into the players they are now in Terry Murray for Kopitar and Bill Ranford for Quick. Under Taylor we never developed in house a single first line forward or goalie. Taylor traded or signed UFAs for those. We were able to develop a couple of defensemen but that's it.

Perhaps with Quick. Although I think his talent and more importantly his mental makeup would have gotten him through. That is half the battle with goalies, look at a guy like Garon.

As for Kopitar, there was zero chance that he was not going to be an NHL star. He was a 1C from the second he stepped on the ice as a 19 year old.

 

[damacles1156]

He pushed all the right buttons using both the farm AND the roster until we hit emergency mode. I mean, trading Johnson for Carter and getting a net upgrade in Voynov? Like, someone asked the question 'what if we lost in the Final those years," and I would pose "what was the team missing that we would have been considered a failure?" Elite 1C, 1D, 1G, elite support structure, no real 'weak links,' though I guess you can assume one if we lost...he was a brilliant architect that didn't have failures until the roster failed him back (due to either age, ability, or stupidity, very few that were easy to predict).



Wouldn't go that far. He helped center the first semblance of a fourth line we had in years. Decent skill. Certainly not above average by any stretch of the imagination but an experienced fourth liner who could pop in points (including a Final goal) and play in all situations while not being a liability...not sure you can ask more from a trade throw-in.

Colin Fraser was a good 4th line Center.

The Kings haven't had another 4th line center since fraser play as gritty.

 

[BallPointHammer]

It was disappointing because the team was not trying to rebuild when DL first got here. It wasn't until he got ownership's ok that he traded away guys like Norstrom and Visnovsky.

I thought the 'ok' came as a requirement by Lombardi for him to take the job in the first place. Years later, can't remember when or where, he talked about the plan in the beginning was a 'hybrid' of compete now and rebuild. I was shocked to hear him say that. I had no idea.

 

[kingsfan28]

I wouldn't say extremely lucky. He had several missteps and was fortunate some of the fast forward moves ownership wanted him to make didn't pan out. All of the big UFA moves the Kings organization wanted to make, other than Chara and Hossa, would have been colossal flops.

The Taylor regime likely would have rushed Bernier and passed on Quick. It's just my opinion, but it's how things were done under Taylor's leadership. Terry Murray never would have been hired, and Sutter would never have come to LA. Those two coaching hires were key to establishing the right mindset.

Bottom line, the Lombardi hire put an end to the former Kings player organizational nepotism which had been the bane of the franchise for 40+ years. Now it has returned and I doubt it will be a good thing.

Luck is when opportunity meets preparation. Lombardi was prepared with the assets necessary to make the right deals at the right time. Lombardi wasn't lucky. He pulled the trigger at exactly the right time with the trades he made to acquire Greene, Stoll, Williams, Richards, Carter, and Gaborik. He took well calculated risks with Scuderi and Mitchell.

Give Lombardi credit where credit is due. It's a shame he couldn't be more calculating in maintaining what was built.

Even after Bernier was drafted, everyone wanted him to be the starter from Crawford to Lieweke, and Lombardi said no he needs to develop the right way. Bernier later said it was the best thing for his career , although at the time he didn't like it at all.

One thing Lombardi did do was bring in guys from winning organizations and create a solid development program. He even said there wasn't a single guy in the front office who came from a winning org when he was hired.

 

[Rorschach]

Perhaps with Quick. Although I think his talent and more importantly his mental makeup would have gotten him through. That is half the battle with goalies, look at a guy like Garon.

As for Kopitar, there was zero chance that he was not going to be an NHL star. He was a 1C from the second he stepped on the ice as a 19 year old.

Again I agree with the gist of what you say however there are degrees. For example, when Detroit drafted Steve Yzerman, he was rather one dimensional. He also had big growing pains in being turned into the two-way captain/champion instead of just a scorer with little defense, face off ability, and leadership.

In the Kings' org's eyes and NHL scouting world, Kopitar would be a top 25 scorer, a minor star. Instead, at the height of his game, the Kings called him a top 3 player in the world, no matter the position.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Lombardi was extremely lucky early in his tenure, he inherited a team with a future Hall of Fame #1 center and a future world class goalie. A lot of potential bad moves were avoided such as the free agent misses and $myth wanting to leave. It's like playing a poker tourney with a big stack.

On the flip side he was extremely unlucky towards the end. Richards went from being a Canadian Olympian and prob top 25 player in the league to complete crap basically overnight. Voynov who was on his way to being an excellent #2 RH dman beats up his wife and is lost for nothing. And just as it's easier to make moves with a big stack it's easier to lose it all with a short stack and that's what Dean did with the Richards decision, Lucic and Sekera.

Perfect analogy. Some good breaks in the beginning, some not good breaks at the end.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Yeah everything turned to gold for a while there, then everything turned to poo.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Which is why 2 Cups in 3 years is somewhat rare. A roster full of the right guys, at the right time, that completely clicked together. Look how easily it can slip away. I don't blame Lombardi at all for trying to hold onto that. That circumstance doesn't come around that often in a GM's career, if ever. Sucks for fans since we get stuck with the aftermath, but I get it.