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BigKing said:
Stevens handles the defense and Ranford the goalies, right?

Seems like they will want to keep them from Blake's comments today.

What did Payne do? PP?
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He told the players to stand around for two minutes and keep passing the puck along the perimeter, then shoot it wide.
 
Ziggy Stardust said:
Would be nice if the NHL allowed teams to use an amnesty buyout every off-season, or one every two years or what have you.

In addition to missing the playoffs twice in three years (and going out on a whimper last year), I think the dire cap situation is a big reason why the decision to remove Lombardi was made. When you add up all of his mistakes since the summer of 2014, it just kept snowballing into a mountain of problems.

Now you're stuck with some dead cap space from the whole Mike Richards fiasco, Matt Greene is still signed for another year at $2.5M, and he might just be placed on LTIR. They have to make a decision with Marian Gaborik, but whatever option they go with will cost them in the form of assets (if he is dealt) or cap space (if bought out or simply brought back).

These mistakes will make it extra challenging to retain Pearson and Toffoli while also having cap flexibility at the same time. Stan Bowman demonstrated his ability to make difficult decisions, and look at how his team has not missed a beat. Lombardi wasn't able to do the same, hence his removal from the organization.

I welcome these changes with open arms. I'm not going to be critical or judgmental of Blake and Luc before they've even made their first transaction. We can discuss these changes after a year, when we see how the players respond and what the on-ice product looks like once they've instilled a new coach, a new system, and a new philosophy.
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The handling of the cap and the inability to do much at the draft table in recent years doomed the Kings.

Granted a lot of the inability to draft is because of so many picks being handed out like candy, but you can't win in this league if you can't add good players through the draft, and the Kings didn't do enough of that.
 
I miss the old Kompon PP strategy of feeding one-timers to Jarret Stoll.

s-l1000.jpg
 
CowMix said:
Its not a bad move if you want to rebuild because Carter has just come off a great season but this team was never going to rebuild so I'm not sure what they were expecting.
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I pretty much expect the failure of the black hole now.
 
KingsFan7824 said:
They basically need a plan to win in the next 2 years before Doughty requires a new deal, whether he stays or goes. Especially if they buy Gaborik out, and his dead cap space triples, at the same time as Doughty's contract expires, and who knows what the league's cap situation is by then.

If you're cleaning house in management, and not trading any of the core players, there's only one option, and that's going for it now. What happens in the summer of 2019, that would have to get dealt with the closer that day comes, not worried about today.

Not much in free agency on defense, but they seem ok there. A few guys out there up front, but you figure some young guys from Ontario will get the chance. Free agency is for filling in specific holes, so you want to be as efficient as possible.
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Poetic justice if Doughty forces Blake into trading him.
 
Ziggy Stardust said:
Would be nice if the NHL allowed teams to use an amnesty buyout every off-season, or one every two years or what have you.

In addition to missing the playoffs twice in three years (and going out on a whimper last year), I think the dire cap situation is a big reason why the decision to remove Lombardi was made. When you add up all of his mistakes since the summer of 2014, it just kept snowballing into a mountain of problems.

Now you're stuck with some dead cap space from the whole Mike Richards fiasco, Matt Greene is still signed for another year at $2.5M, and he might just be placed on LTIR. They have to make a decision with Marian Gaborik, but whatever option they go with will cost them in the form of assets (if he is dealt) or cap space (if bought out or simply brought back).

These mistakes will make it extra challenging to retain Pearson and Toffoli while also having cap flexibility at the same time. Stan Bowman demonstrated his ability to make difficult decisions, and look at how his team has not missed a beat. Lombardi wasn't able to do the same, hence his removal from the organization.

I welcome these changes with open arms. I'm not going to be critical or judgmental of Blake and Luc before they've even made their first transaction. We can discuss these changes after a year, when we see how the players respond and what the on-ice product looks like once they've instilled a new coach, a new system, and a new philosophy.
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I don't think it would be a good idea. It would just lead to double or triple the number of stupid contracts handed out by GMs.

Also, not fair to small market teams as teams like the Rangers would cycle through UFAs every off season with no regard for the cap.
 
The core isn't too old.

Iggy said it really didn't get tough until mid 30s.

These guys have also won...twice.

Chicago is the model honestly. I think Amadio and Mersch get good looks at camp.

I want Brown to stay...I think him calling them out after the last game proves he is still a leader.

Hoping a new system will get him going.

Gabby may need to be bought out. I'd hope he could get 20 again in a new system but he looked beat out there.

Blake is familiar with the Reign, interesting to see who gets a shot next year.

I'm guessing Lewis goes to Vegas. Heart and soul all around plug. Teams need them.

I'd love Iggy back on a reduced contract.

Hated the PP last year.

Glad to see Futa/Ranford/Stevens still around for now.
 
Knight of the Realm said:
The core isn't too old.

I want Brown to stay...I think him calling them out after the last game proves he is still a leader.

Hoping a new system will get him going.

Gabby may need to be bought out. I'd hope he could get 20 again in a new system but he looked beat out there.
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Brown is overpaid. Carter is underpaid. To me, it's pretty close to a wash. Putting his contract aside, most Cup contending teams would love to have Brown somewhere in their lineup. We can afford to have one lousy contract.

Unfortunately, it's not the only one.
 
Ziggy Stardust said:
These mistakes will make it extra challenging to retain Pearson and Toffoli while also having cap flexibility at the same time. Stan Bowman demonstrated his ability to make difficult decisions, and look at how his team has not missed a beat. Lombardi wasn't able to do the same, hence his removal from the organization.
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I'm still not sure how many difficult decisions Bowman made. He was forced to make some moves. He didn't proactively trade guys. The first time in 2010 it helped that both Kane and Toews were only coming off their ELC's. They were under $2m combined in 09-10. The first Cup for the Kings, both Doughty and Kopitar were already taking up almost $14m in combined cap space. I don't think Byfuglien was a choice either, and Brouwer and Ladd have never been playoff players, even on that stacked 2010 Hawks team. After 2015, he got Anisimov for Saad, and ended up dumping Sharp to Dallas for nothing, but neither of those was by choice. It also helped that Hossa doubled his goal production this year from last year at the age of 37/38.

I guess the problem for Lombardi was that the cap space existed to sign Brown, and Gaborik, and Kopitar. He wasn't in a position to be forced to trade Toffoli or Pearson. They could both probably be signed this summer even if nothing else is done to the roster, as long as their contract numbers aren't outrageous.

They're really two different situations.
 
What I would like to see happen this off-season as far as new additions go:

Trade Jake Muzzin to TB for Ondrej Palat.
Tampa Bay needs to re-sign Drouin, Johnson and Sustr, and they only have four NHL dmen under contract with Sustr unsigned and Witkowski as a UFA. They need another top 3 dman, and the Kings need offense, so I see a potential fit with both clubs. This move will open up the blueline for guys like Forbort, Gravel and LaDue to step in and contribute as regulars, and Palat can be a winger in his prime who can be penciled in for top line duty alongside Anze Kopitar.

Sign UFA defenseman Deryk Engelland to a one-year deal.
The Kings need an experienced and physical blueliner who can log 18+ minutes, and Engelland can give you that. He led Flames dmen in hits and was second on the team in blocked shots and could be the physical presence the team was lacking on the blueline once Greene went down.

Sign UFA goaltender Anders Nilsson as a backup.

He's a huge goaltender who posted very respectable numbers in 26 appearances in net with the Sabres. He can give the Kings 20 or so games if necessary, and the Kings can't afford to sign an expensive backup goalie to sit on the bench. Nilsson is coming off a one-year contract that paid him $1M.
 
Herby said:
The handling of the cap and the inability to do much at the draft table in recent years doomed the Kings.

Granted a lot of the inability to draft is because of so many picks being handed out like candy, but you can't win in this league if you can't add good players through the draft, and the Kings didn't do enough of that.
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At what point do the players get to be held accountable? DL made those moves and traded assets because he wanted to give these current players another shot. They've won two cups, he was following the same formula that got the team Jeff Carter and Gaborik.

Further, what message is this organization sending when they trot out players at a presser that essentially announced the canning of two guys that were responsible for two cups. I've never seen that and it was a bizzare presser.
 
John Stevens & Ranford are staying? I don't really understand that. What if the coach that's coming wants a brand new staff? I think Ranford has been tremendous but not sure how you force the new coach to work with John Stevens.

I'm really curious to know who Blake & co. will hire. Would love Gallant.
 
AKAY47 said:
John Stevens & Ranford are staying? I don't really understand that. What if the coach that's coming wants a brand new staff? I think Ranford has been tremendous but not sure how you force the new coach to work with John Stevens.

I'm really curious to know who Blake & co. will hire. Would love Gallant.
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This is why:

 
AKAY47 said:
John Stevens & Ranford are staying? I don't really understand that. What if the coach that's coming wants a brand new staff? I think Ranford has been tremendous but not sure how you force the new coach to work with John Stevens.

I'm really curious to know who Blake & co. will hire. Would love Gallant.
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I don't know when that started, but I've also found it odd when teams do that. They'll keep the assistants and plug in the head coach. The head coach, I think, always used to get to pick his guys behind the bench, but at some point, somewhat recently, those choices have sometimes been taken out of the coaches hands.
 
BigKing said:
So, again, San Jose should not be listed if that is the case.

I'm not arguing that the ages of Kopitar/Quick/Carter/Doughty exclude them from winning another Cup: just the use of San Jose as a "real contender".

Last year was their best shot, in my opinion, and they missed it.

Of course, I can't see the future so who knows, right? I just don't think they should be used as an example since they've never won one and most likely won't win this year either.
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Obviously they're not Cup winners but they are contenders and my point is that a mature core leads to playoff success... granted our kids need to step up but we're in a decent position
 
i'm at a point, where if we're going all out bonkers

Patrick Roy is the man

he would be badass

open up scoring

and we would lose tremendously yes, but we would be badass though
 
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