One of the worst written articles I've ever seen about a team I follow.
He begins by spewing BS. Vegas won the SC last year with their 3rd coach in their 6 year existence. Their roster that won the Cup in 2023 had only 5 players from their roster that made the finals in 2018. How many teams in NHL since the 1967 expansion have hired a GM, had that GM win 0 playoff series in 7 years and then went on to success?
Lombardi was fired 3 years after winning a Stanley Cup, Blake returns for an 8th season despite zero playoff success. Lombardi probably did deserve to be fired, but Blake's last three seasons have been just as bad as DL's final three were, and probably worse. Things like the PLD and Fiala trade and the overriding of his scouting staff on a Top 5 pick were worse than anything DL did. BTW amazing to see Hoven just openly talk about DL's "Grave Errors" and "Horrific Blunders" when he just excuses every single one of Blake's, and these two bufoons wonder why people think they are in bed with the management team?
No he didn't, he inherited a team that had 1 playoff win in the previous 3 seasons and proceeded to tell everyone they were contenders and he would fix it. He has yet to win a playoff series.
Hoven's "less patience" thing is just such a crock of BS. Most of the same fans bitching now to fire Blake were also bitching when Blake prematurely ended the rebuild. Kings fans want to see a cup winner built and are willing to wait for it to be done properly. They were 15 years ago, and they still are now. To claim that 7 f'n years of no playoff wins is being impatient is just such a joke, it's amazing he even had the nerve to type it.
You never speak objectively. But anyways, what are the wins?
What are the big wins in the Rob Blake era? Drafting Mikey Anderson? You could say Faber, but he f'ed that one up. Giving Danault the most money? Hasn't moved the needle at all. Drafting QB? He hasn't been as good as either of the next 2 forwards taken.
Here are the losses
Kovalchuk signing
Stevens hire
WD hiring
Fiala trade
PLD trade
Turcotte override
Koala hire
Quick fiasco
Kaliyev fiasco
Yeah of course he pushing the organizational line that QB should take a bridge deal. You know how you don't have cap troubles to sign your best young player? You don't give old guys and never was players a combined $16m in salary to play C for you when you have your supposed C of the future on the roster. Every other team in the league would have been happy to sign him to an 8 year deal, but this is the Kings under Rob Blake, so doing what 31 other teams would do doesn't matter, just like with stupid college signings and putting guys in the AHL, smartest men in the room.
QB should tell these guys to pound sand, they give PLD 8 years and then want to play bridge games with QB.
Why can't Portillo compete for an NHL job? The guy is 24 years old and played very well in the AHL, but he's completely shut out of an NHL opportunity before camp even starts? We know the "slow-cook" of forwards and d-man goes into 22, 23, 24. With goalies is it 25 or 26?
Is that why he didn't trade him?
And yeah, Arvidsson as the only RH shot. Well shocking considering he drafted mostly left-hand shots, and the one right-hand shot he did have who was half way decent was traded in the summer for a left-shot C (yeah the same position he used three high 1sts on)
None of these moves are going to help the Kings beat EDM. Clarke will eventually be a very good offensive d-man, but there aren't enough game-breaking forwards on this team to do any playoff damage. And that's because Blake utterly failed at the draft table and made a horrific decision to end his rebuild.
Hoven is beyond clueless if he thinks Turcotte and Thomas move the needle at all, especially when you factor in Kopitar, Doughty, Danault, VA (if he comes back) will all be a year older and a year worse.
This must have been the part where Hoven had to take a leak and Blake took over.
And we are supposed to be excited about this roster?
This roster is a distant 4th in the division, while the teams below us are all getting better by doing proper rebuilds.
8 years, 68 million and 4 assets for a left winger. Awesome asset management!
TT must add some value on the volleyball courts or something. On the ice he's another older player you are hoping doesn't decline. I'm sure the Kings will give him a 4 year deal or something.
