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Speculation: Fire Rob Blake Blow it Up Offseason Thread (update: Robitaille, Blake and Hiller stay)

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johnjm22 said:
Exactly. Just like how Tampa Bay hired Steve Yzerman to be their GM in 2010. He was an extremely experienced general manager.
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You're trying to make your argument out of an anomaly. This isn't what normal well adjusted adults do. You also forgot to mention the years of experience under Ken Holland.....yes that Ken Holland.
 
doug93003 said:
You're trying to make your argument out of an anomaly. This isn't what normal well adjusted adults do. You also forgot to mention the years of experience under Ken Holland.....yes that Ken Holland.
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It's not an anomaly.

Let's look at last years cup finalists:

Panthers (Bill Zito. First time NHL GM job)
Golden Knights (Kelly McCrimmon. First time NHL GM job)

You also forgot to mention Rob Blake's years of experience under Dean Lombardi.....yes that Dean Lombardi.
 
DoktorJeep said:
These excuses for BLuc are a joke. It’s on record from Beckerman in April 2017, aka ownership, that the team was expected to compete for the cup, and the hiring of BLuc to replace Dean was to try and make that happen.

Ownership was wrong then and we are living with the consequences. In hindsight, there is no legitimate reason for having made the change at the time. The worst sins of Lombardi have not come close to being erased. And there is no improvement under BLuc that is unique.

You don’t have to look beyond Kempe to see Robitaille and Blake as nothing but unqualified political operators who have grifted millions while living off the works of their predecessor.
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There are some posters here who believe that’s not true, though, and Blake had no intention to try and win now, even though he explicitly stated it when hired and every move he made indicated as much.

The defense of Blake requires a tenth degree black belt in mental gymnastics.
 
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Oof.
 
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kilowatt said:
I don’t blame him for trying that first season. Any GM with that roster he had probably would have done the same. I don’t blame Doughty for being vocal about wanting to win either, every player should want that. I just wish we’d traded Doughty and Quick back in 2019 when we knew we’d be in for a long rebuild.
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Yeah, I get it. I don't hate Blake or Luc, heck Luc was my favorite player as a kid and got me into the Kings. I don't hate every move they make and everything they do. I get naming Stevens coach and going for it. I get signing Kovalchuk. I don't fault or blame Drew wanting to win, and I get it.

But I also am not going to sit here and claim any of them (except maybe Drew) are doing a great job right now, because it isn't true.

I even tried to understand the Dubois trade and the proof is in the thread when the trade happened. I said I didn't like what they gave up, but if Dubois was to be a top 6 center once Kopitar retired, I understand the move.

Then I did my homework on Dubois and saw how lazy he'd always been and I turned.

Been more bad than good ever since Blake took over and I see it now (been since the Desjardins disaster to be honest.) So yeah, I'm frustrated, I'm bitter, and I'm upset at what this team has become.

This isn't aimed at you, it's just stuff that's been on my mind a lot lately and I feel like I needed to say it.
 
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johnjm22 said:
It's not an anomaly.

Let's look at last years cup finalists:

Panthers (Bill Zito. First time NHL GM job)
Golden Knights (Kelly McCrimmon. First time NHL GM job)

You also forgot to mention Rob Blake's years of experience under Dean Lombardi.....yes that Dean Lombardi.
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Bill Zito, hockey executive for 7 years in various capacity. Yale graduate.
Steve Yzerman part of a historically successful team and one of the most professional and well run organizations for 22 years as a player under guys like Scotty Bowman, Jim Devellano, and 4 years as an executive under Ken Holland.
Rob Blake Played under guys like Larry Robinson and Andy Murray, was given the Norris as a lifetime achievement award and forced a trade and turned his back on his team in a tantrum.

You don't see the difference?
 
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doug93003 said:
Bill Zito, hockey executive for 7 years in various capacity. Yale graduate.
Steve Yzerman part of a historically successful team and one of the most professional and well run organizations for 22 years as a player under guys like Scotty Bowman, Jim Devellano, and 4 years as an executive under Ken Holland.
Rob Blake Played under guys like Larry Robinson and Andy Murray, was given the Norris as a lifetime achievement award and forced a trade and turned his back on his team in a tantrum.

You don't see the difference?
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Rob Blake's credentials put him in line to be a GM. He was the GM of an AHL team, then the assistant GM of an NHL team and has spent a lifetime around the game.

I can keep bringing up successful first time GM's BTW.

I can also list GM's who were successful then failed at their next GM job.

There's plenty of legit criticisms to be made about the Kings, hiring a first time GM isn't one of them.

I'm sure Lou Lamoriello would have done a great job. He won a cup 20 years ago.
 
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johnjm22 said:
Rob Blake's credentials put him in line to be a GM. He was the GM of an AHL team, then the assistant GM of an NHL team and has spent a lifetime around the game.

I can keep bringing up successful first time GM's BTW.

I can also list GM's who were successful then failed at their next GM job.

There's plenty of legit criticisms to be made about the Kings, hiring a first time GM isn't one of them.

I'm sure Lou Lamoriello would have done a great job. He won a cup 20 years ago.
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Credentials? Career -3:eek3:

Every GM in history was once a first year GM. Is this your argument? He was qualified because just like every other GM he was once a first year GM?

I'm not saying there isn't a time and place for guys like Rob Blake to get a GM job. I'm not saying Rob Blake should have never gotten a GM job. For him it was way too early. He was the wrong guy at the wrong time. He (and Luc) were nostalgic hires, not based on any track record or demonstrated skill but on Dan Beckerman's complete misunderstanding of hockey and what fans want. He honestly thought a walk down memory lane, a memory which includes some of the darkest times of the Kings franchise is what the fans were asking for. There are a handful of teams who never compete and likely never will. That's where guys with limited experience get hired. The Kings were a few years off winning two cups in three years and a loaded farm.

The Kings were in a unique position that required a specific type of GM. They were a few moves away from competing. Rob Blake made the wrong moves. This was anticipated by many who had to live through the ineptitude of the Dave Taylor years. Wrong hire at the wrong time. He certainly wasn't an upgrade over Dean Lombardi, who drafted what was considered to be the best prospect pool in the NHL and had a track record of doing that in the NHL.

Showing Lombardi the door wasn't an egregious action. He did not want to go through a rebuild and played his hand. I suspect it had more to do with his personality clashing with Dan Beckerman's. This was Dans call and really one he obviously wasn't qualified to make or see through. it's what happens in sports when you have non sport people making sport decisions.
 
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You don't know about first time GMs, regardless of knowledge or experience, until they try.

LA was Lombardi's second stint as a GM, he really only had his time in San Jose to show his capability of building a team (though he did have two years as an assistant GM with the North Stars).

We'll probably never truly know about how Blake sold himself as the answer for the Kings GM, or how much effort the org put into alternatives. But I don't think it was Blake's lack of experience that was the problem.
 
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bouncesonly said:
I'd have more respect for Blake if he resigned after Wednesday
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It would be nice if he bowed out. They played really hard tonight. They just straight up werent good enough. The team he put together isnt good enough. They tried and theres no shame in it but now they need to look forward in order to get better.
 
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CowMix said:
Your overreacting please add me your your block list d-bag.
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You think bringing in Dubois and giving him that contract is good?
They have one playoff win with Fiala on the team who has been a non factor each 2 playoff years hes here.
Tonight they played with a goalie that was their 3rd stringer who started the season in the AHL.
Clarke is an offensive specialist that woulda been helping the powerplay all year. Roy is playing horribly and they could have gotten some assets for him.
Kaliyev is a goal scorer they could have used tonight on the powerplay also.
Do you agree that theres been some mismanagement?
 
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