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

[Piston]

Dont worry, we already gave up next year's 2nd rnd pick and I'm sure the 1st will be gone at the deadline as blake tries to save his ass

I doubt Blake survives till the end of the season. The team is relying on a 37 year old to be their #1 center and a soon to be 35 year old to QB the powerplay and take on the toughest matchups. With no significant skill improvements, all the grit in the world is not going to be enough to make the playoffs. Once this is obvious, I think a change will be made. Think Jeol Quenneville.

 

[KingsFan7824]

No one talking about Trevor Moore’s production dropping.

Or anyone else's improving.

Like all the bad teams the Kings beat last year, well they all got better, so that means the Kings will get worse in the standings, since those teams will now beat the Kings. They won't beat any other teams that they lost to, because everyone but the Kings got better in one way or another. Things only work in one direction, and that's negatively against the Kings.

Somehow Nashville, with a bunch of 30-35 year olds on their roster, as the core of the team, is now a Cup contender. Because they spent a ton of money in free agency, and we know that's where championships are won.

 

[CarlSneep]

Do you think the Kings are better now than they were at the end of the season

 

[Statto]

I’m stepping back here, playing devils advocate so please note that I’m not saying everything is fine. However, I think I get what they are doing.

Back in my youth when involved in professional teams they were often built with what we called a shadow team. Much like we do with line combinations but instead of XXX there will be a specific profile of a player to fill the hole. So even if a 50g guy is available you take the grinding enforcer because that is what the model dictates. I’ve watched a championship team built this way, that became more than the sum of its parts.

Therefore the idea might be that by having a wrecking ball like Jeannot playing with Fiala and QB will give them an extra half second of space. That’s an eternity and both explode offensively. I am not saying that will happen but it might be how they are thinking - it is about roles. We also don’t know how Hiller plans to play, but I don’t think this is a team playing 1-3-1 very much.

If they have specific roles that these new guys actually fit, maybe they expect them to be more than the sum of their parts. My worry is that we have seen the best of DD, Kopi and Danault in particular. If they were in their primes I’d have more hope that we’d see the needed growth and adaption in their games.

Talking about RHS for the pp. Look for Thomas to get an opportunity because he is very good on the pp, goes to the hard areas and can find the soft spots. He’s smart and tenacious and should be given an opportunity to grow. Maybe Fagemo gets a long look also.

Blake has pretty much committed to Clarke and Spence on opening night, based on the Dooley interview so that is a positive.

That’s it , I’ve forced out all my positive energy as yesterday left me depleted. I need to go and cry in the corner…

 

[Bandit]

I’m stepping back here, playing devils advocate so please note that I’m not saying everything is fine. However, I think I get what they are doing.

Back in my youth when involved in professional teams they were often built with what we called a shadow team. Much like we do with line combinations but instead of XXX there will be a specific profile of a player to fill the hole. So even if a 50g guy is available you take the grinding enforcer because that is what the model dictates. I’ve watched a championship team built this way, that became more than the sum of its parts.

Therefore the idea might be that by having a wrecking ball like Jeannot playing with Fiala and QB will give them an extra half second of space. That’s an eternity and both explode offensively. I am not saying that will happen but it might be how they are thinking - it is about roles. We also don’t know how Hiller plans to play, but I don’t think this is a team playing 1-3-1 very much.

If they have specific roles that these new guys actually fit, maybe they expect them to be more than the sum of their parts. My worry is that we have seen the best of DD, Kopi and Danault in particular. If they were in their primes I’d have more hope that we’d see the needed growth and adaption in their games.

Talking about RHS for the pp. Look for Thomas to get an opportunity because he is very good on the pp, goes to the hard areas and can find the soft spots. He’s smart and tenacious and should be given an opportunity to grow. Maybe Fagemo gets a long look also.

Blake has pretty much committed to Clarke and Spence on opening night, based on the Dooley interview so that is a positive.

That’s it , I’ve forced out all my positive energy as yesterday left me depleted. I need to go and cry in the corner…

There is no way Blake has put this much thought into it.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Watching Blake, Luc, and Bergevin continuously destroy this team is making me depressed. AEG needs to step in and make changes; but it's probably too late at this point,. The damage has been done. Everyone buckle up for another ~10 years of mediocrity.

Yup this is the problem and it's depressing.

“Lewis is not back with the Kings to hold up younger players, to take the spot of younger players or to prevent younger players from developing. It’s the opposite. He’s here to help younger players grow and become the players they are capable of becoming.”

How does Dooley write this stuff with a straight face? I’m really wondering.

It's easier when you're getting paid I think. Though at this point I'd use a pseudonym or at least a paper bag.

 

[KingsHockey24]

Let's talk about the positives.

• Darcy Kuemper/David Rittich is a better tandem than Talbot/Copley.
• Alex Laferierre had a great rookie season and should continue to grow into a power forward.
• Our defense got tougher and better offensively (Clarke full-time, Burroughs/Edmundson)
• The forward group got a lot meaner. Previously Carl Grundstrom was our toughest forward.
• Alex Turcotte/Akil Thomas will have every opportunity to play a full season.
• Andreas Englund and Trevor Lewis will NOT play a full 82 games again.

That's about it.

 

[Gjwrams]

Woke up this morning in a bad mood. I wonder why.

 

[Mats26]

Do you think the Kings are better now than they were at the end of the season

Even though I would of went for different players to plug the holes, to answer the question: Yes, marginally the team is better, but how much more will depend on expectations. This lineup is still not a contender and we'll still need to fight for a playoff spot.

Any team without that lazy PLD in the locker room is better but the damage caused via that trade will haunt us for a long time.
Goaltending is eithier the same or much better.
I like what I saw from Thomas and Turcotte, they will have more ice time. Laf will only get better. Clarke in lineup will be huge. We need more pts from our D next year.
We grew some balls.
Got rid of undersized injured midgets.

We did not address:
A top 6 RW. A big needs for us, would of been nice to add one to replace Vilardi, Arvy. Necas will be pricey and not sure we have the ammo\cap to get him. Pinto would also be a great add and a little less expensive.

We needed to fix the specialty teams.
PP sucks and inconsistant, can't produce when we need it most. Hoping Clarke gets more PP time, like Durzi had. But we needed another goal scorer. Can't only rely on Kempe.
PK should be a little better with Edmundson clearing the front of the net. Roy was useless clearing the net. Lewis is not the answer here, at ALL. And get rid of that diamond formation.

 

[Statto]

“Lewis is not back with the Kings to hold up younger players, to take the spot of younger players or to prevent younger players from developing. It’s the opposite. He’s here to help younger players grow and become the players they are capable of becoming.”

How does Dooley write this stuff with a straight face? I’m really wondering.

To be fair I respect the hell out of it. I’ve tried and failed at most jobs in and around pro hockey (I was free and enthusiastic) and one of them was writing a weekly piece in the match day programme for 3-4 seasons. When the team sucks ass, as it did for 2-3 of those seasons, it is really, really hard to keep a positive slant when it’s your ‘job’ to do so. Being critical, even constructively, is incredibly easy in comparison. We could all sit here happily finding issues with both SCF teams…. It’s easy. Finding the positive in a tough situation is a different ball game altogether.

It was the first time I got into breaking down hockey systems. I’d write long articles on things like the ‘wing lock’ to avoid discussing the on ice performance.

Remember he (Dooley) will also get a different perspective. He will have better awareness of the challenges that the front office faces and that will affect his outlook somewhat and he will see first hand everyone working their butts off. Despite what we all think he will see how much they genuinely care. That will affect the lens he sees things through, because he will have empathy with the staff.

Dooley (and Jesse for that matter) have a very different perspective, so they will genuinely see it differently from us. As they say…. Jesse, Zac, the front office and the fans (for the sake of this argument) will each have their own truths and reality will be somewhere in the middle of the vend diagram that goes with it. I think we are more correct than the front office is with where things are at, but I would wouldn’t I?

Right, I need to stop being philosophical and actually do something productive…

Nah, Blake wanted Edmundson back in 2020 before BargainBin signed him in Montreal, and Luc was allegedly pushing for PLD. So Bergevin is at worst feeding Blake's worst impulses but isn't a bigger problem than the other two.
So is he part of the issue? Absolutely. But all three are a huge issue and need to go.

There’s nothing worse that everyone singing from the same hymn sheet in this type of environment. An echo chamber is never successful.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Let's talk about the positives.

• Darcy Kuemper/David Rittich is a better tandem than Talbot/Copley.
• Alex Laferierre had a great rookie season and should continue to grow into a power forward.
• Our defense got tougher and better offensively (Clarke full-time, Burroughs/Edmundson)
• The forward group got a lot meaner. Previously Carl Grundstrom was our toughest forward.
• Alex Turcotte/Akil Thomas will have every opportunity to play a full season.
• Andreas Englund and Trevor Lewis will NOT play a full 82 games again.

That's about it.

Good points - Edmundson will be the #6, so the Kings will need to trade or waive Englund. I would assume Burroughs, since he is cheaper and plays both LD/RD would be the #7.

 

[Schrute farms]

I still think there's at least one more significant move coming.

Bluc fired?

 

[DryIslandBartender]

Bluc fired?

 

[Sol]

I know people are down on Kopi/Dewey, but they were still high end players last season.

Dewey was top 20 by nearly every possession analytic and was also top 20 in defenseman scoring and he did this while being 2nd in the league in TOI. Kopitar put up 70 points, with positive possession numbers and logging difficult minutes.

The concern I have is that any slight fall off from those two will be disastrous and adding tweener forwards is not going to cover for them regressing. Why not swing for a Necas or a Pinto? Look into McGroarty? Shit, if we are going fully into competition mode now, go get someone like Lindholm, Stephenson, Teravainen, Stamkos. Marchy, Skjei, Pesce, Chychrun, etc? Shit, even someone like Skinner would be better to spend that cap space on. Edmundson/Foegle just reeks of being panic moves, which is kind of scary for the future.

This part doesn’t matter at all.

No one is saying they’re trash players. The anger is that they shouldn’t be built around and that they’re blocking other players in a point in their careers when they have no business doing that still in this point of their careers.

Respectfully, those guys can get it.

 

[King'sPawn]

FWIW I'm willing to give these new signings a fair shake, depending on how everyone (especially the youth) is uses. For all intents and purposes, Scott Thornton, Alyn McAuley, etc would have done nothing to help the team win now. If they're going to give the youth more opportunity and time, and using these guys as buoys, cool.

If they're still going with giving Kopitar and Doughty 20+ minutes, and Byfield, Clarke, etc < 15 minutes, then the team going nowhere would be an improvement to bumbling through the regular season.

 

[Sol]

FWIW I'm willing to give these new signings a fair shake, depending on how everyone (especially the youth) is uses. For all intents and purposes, Scott Thornton, Alyn McAuley, etc would have done nothing to help the team win now. If they're going to give the youth more opportunity and time, and using these guys as buoys, cool.

If they're still going with giving Kopitar and Doughty 20+ minutes, and Byfield, Clarke, etc < 15 minutes, then the team going nowhere would be an improvement to bumbling through the regular season.

My friend why are you willing to be optimistic when it’s still gonna be a Kopitar and Doughty team playing 20+ for sure.

They don’t deserve the rope you’re willing to give them. They had plenty.

Come to the dark side, the waters nice here.

 

[chris kontos]

Boston, a team with a culture of winning, signs zadorov

 

[SmytheKing]

FWIW I'm willing to give these new signings a fair shake, depending on how everyone (especially the youth) is uses. For all intents and purposes, Scott Thornton, Alyn McAuley, etc would have done nothing to help the team win now. If they're going to give the youth more opportunity and time, and using these guys as buoys, cool.

If they're still going with giving Kopitar and Doughty 20+ minutes, and Byfield, Clarke, etc < 15 minutes, then the team going nowhere would be an improvement to bumbling through the regular season.

I feel like we've been saying this for three years now.

 

[Cook24]

Blake can somewhat redeem himself from that Edmundson contract by trading Kaliyev and a 1st or 2nd for Mcgroarty…

 

[WHOneedsSOX]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1808170014559654336

Every home weekend game is early. Wonder why they have so many 1pm Saturday games since the clippers are gone.

 

[King'sPawn]

I feel like we've been saying this for three years now.

Yeah, I agree. The difference is he didn't go all out for a big name (like Fiala or PLD) this time. So I'm willing to see if some semblance a lesson is learned.

 

[AbsentMojo]

FWIW I'm willing to give these new signings a fair shake, depending on how everyone (especially the youth) is uses. For all intents and purposes, Scott Thornton, Alyn McAuley, etc would have done nothing to help the team win now. If they're going to give the youth more opportunity and time, and using these guys as buoys, cool.

If they're still going with giving Kopitar and Doughty 20+ minutes, and Byfield, Clarke, etc < 15 minutes, then the team going nowhere would be an improvement to bumbling through the regular season.

Maybe if Hiller can evaluate 8 and 11 as players vs icons - which I doubt he can - they can sort of move in the right direction. 4 years of vet centric milquetoast leadership doesnt get fixed overnight even with the addition of some sorely needed criminals. If ever a roster needed a detonation and new leaders it was 23/24 LAK. So I see the same core values... slow boils, Kopi burning out on the PK and DD proudly wearing league leading minutes as if its a good thing, same playing catch on PP1, still glued to a defense first system (maybe they will do it less to prove they are willing to change). On the upside we will see some fights.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Boston, a team with a culture of winning, signs zadorov

Their last win was longer ago than the Kings. And their fans have been sick of their former Bruin GM, and have wanted a rebuild after years and years of trying to win with a flawed roster that hasn't been up to getting the job done. Although, there are some that praise Sweeney for changing ideas on how to build his roster from previous seasons.

Kind of like the Bruins have no core plan, and are just trying to be competitive while 36 year old Marchand and 28 year old Pastrnak are still there. Not that they've ever won with Pastrnak. Tough to built a team around a winger.

 

[shuchukfan]

People can talk about Richards and the Bishop trade, but the worst move Lombardi made was bringing in Blake as Assistant GM.

 

[BigKing]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1808170014559654336

Every home weekend game is early. Wonder why they have so many 1pm Saturday games since the clippers are gone.

f***ing trash. I don't totally dislike 7 v. 7:30 but all the 1PM stuff is stupid.

Fan appreciation on a 1PM game is also garbage, albeit perfect for this regime.