KingsOfCali25
Start up the Bandwagon!
The only time I'll give Blake a passing grade (for now) on a trade. Won't mean anything if they don't sign him.
Kings Acquire Andrei Kuzmenko from Philadelphia
- Thread starter kingsboy11
- Start date
I am not a fan of Blake but he's had a few gems
Danault UFA signing
The Trevor Moore trade:
Trevor Moore
2020 Third-Round Pick (CBJ)
2021 Third-Round Pick (TOR)
for
Campbell
Kyle Clifford
Foegele UFA signing
Edmundson UFA signing (I was totally wrong here)
Axl Rhoadz
Binky distributor
- Apr 5, 2011
- 5,045
- 3,996
That trade for Kuemper looks pretty f***ing good right now. Just imagine if Kuemper is the catalyst to get us past the first round...
tigermask48
Maniacal Laugh
Lol. Lmao even. Someone isn't familiar with the concept of sunk cost.
The acquisition of Kuemper in no way shape or form offsets the absolute plethora of assets wasted for PLD.
Depending how the rest of the season and especially the playoffs go, got to think both sides would want a contract going forward.
Raccoon Jesus
Todd McLellan is an inside agent
Yeah I mean it’s all speculation but it feels like something big changed after the four nations
Suddenly it’s a bunch of of moves and gameday roster decisions that we can agree with
Omni Owl
⭗
- Mar 9, 2008
- 6,221
- 1,744
I reckon the break everyone got was a huge benefit. It also worked out because it got Doughty back up to speed instead of having him warmup in NHL games. The only guy I was worried about post tourney was Kempe, but he seems pretty unphased. Lil Kuzi Vert has been such a solid pickup as well as Foegele. Gotta give Blake some credit there, both great moves. The Foegele move is clever because it also weakened our main rival and made us better. I hope that bitch E. Kane stays the f*** on the IR for the post season though (its looking like he'll return for the 1st round).
Axl Rhoadz
Binky distributor
- Apr 5, 2011
- 5,045
- 3,996
That wasn't what we are discussing. However, nobody will give a shit about the 'plethora of assets' if Kuemper takes us on a successful playoff run.
Little Psycho
I solemnly swear I'm up to no good
Don’t want to disappoint dad.
Last edited:
Statto
Registered User
- May 9, 2014
- 4,901
- 8,334
They probably will. Hey, I hope we catch lightening in a bottle but given the plethora of assets it’ll always be a case of what could have been. Part of that will be fair comment, human nature and part unreasonable.
chris kontos
FILTHY!
- Feb 28, 2023
- 2,910
- 3,232
Thats what everybody says sbout me good energy for everyone
I have energy
I have energy
I have energy
I have energy
I have energy
I have energy
I have energy
I have energy
I have energy
I have energy
I heard a rumor that you are a human solar panel
chris kontos
FILTHY!
- Feb 28, 2023
- 2,910
- 3,232
Reddy kilowatt says "look out kids! electricity can kill you"
lexlavender
Registered User
- Jun 9, 2013
- 1,329
- 1,114
I'm actually going to the pessimistic side and saying, yeah it might actually be random. They are throwing shit at the wall and the worm is just starting to turn.
At the very most, it's really all Hiller. It's pretty clear that everything up until now was really built around McClellan and the 1-3-1. Even Jesse in another thread was commenting on how the D compositions were built around that system.
All of that soured much earlier than Blake and Tmac were expecting. I wouldn't be surprised if Blake is giving a lot more deference to Hiller right now because he is running low on ideas and direction.
But I look at things like Kuzmenko paying off big and Byfield and Fiala juicing each other to untold value, and it looks a lot more random and lucky than calculated.
Which isn't necessarily bad or wrong. Winning can largely be attributed to luck and hitting at the right time, sometimes
Ziggy Stardust
Master Debater
It's nice to see Kuzmenko fitting in and sticking with the same two linemates since his arrival. He's also giving the PP a boost with his playmaking.
I was concerned with his decision making after his first two games, as he was a big risk taker like Fiala and was making quite a few errant passes (behind the back, blind passes to opponents sticks), but he's settled down since his first seven games where he went pointless.
Now Kuzmenko has 4 goals and 9 points in his last 7 games. He's looking more and more like an Arvidsson replacement as a right-handed threat in the top six.
I was concerned with his decision making after his first two games, as he was a big risk taker like Fiala and was making quite a few errant passes (behind the back, blind passes to opponents sticks), but he's settled down since his first seven games where he went pointless.
Now Kuzmenko has 4 goals and 9 points in his last 7 games. He's looking more and more like an Arvidsson replacement as a right-handed threat in the top six.
bland
Registered User
- Jul 1, 2004
- 7,109
- 12,919
No man, it started back in July.
Blake has killed it this year. Hard to believe, but he finally did everything we had been begging for for years: allowed the coach to change from a passive to an aggressive style, kids put into the right positions to succeed, supporting veterans who can play in the trenches brought in instead of chasing offensive "name" players, and retaining top prospects and picks at the deadline. He also turned his own turd into a Vezina candidate.
This team is bigger, faster, younger, deeper, better slotted and just flat out better than any team he has put together. And they are building a chemistry that is essential to overacheiving.
I get that we have battered fan syndrome from years of neglect here, but we have to look at the reality here, and that is that Rob Blake is the NHL executive of the year.
chris kontos
FILTHY!
- Feb 28, 2023
- 2,910
- 3,232
Raccoon Jesus
Todd McLellan is an inside agent
Mmm, disagree.
Up until the break they were still doing silly things like 11-7ing Clarke into 4 min of icetime, playing Burroughs, playing Lewis, keeping Helenius in ontario, playing doughty 30 min a game, etc
After, they had benched lewis, run 12-6, played Clarke 14-16 min a game, more frequently brought doughty down to the low 20s--including the least full-game icetime he's gotten since his rookie year, finally tried Byfield-Fiala again, ran a killer 4th line, and more.
I agree that some of it has to 'work' to stick but we were begging for a lot of this stuff all year--years in many cases--and it didn't happen tiill the break. It's wayyyy too many small things coming together to write all those changes off as anything but thoughtful.
Any other time in Blake's tenure, they trade for Kuzmenko and instead of putting him next to Kopitar and letting him work thru 7 games of effectiveness-but-not-production, they take him off the PP and put him on the 3rd-4th lines.
And as for Blake for executive of the year--he did make the acquisitions. It's just hard to tell how much of the misuse is his doing (or Luc et. al.) vs. Hiller.
Choralone
Registered User
I'm fine with blaming all the stupid decisions on Robitaille, regardless of accuracy.
tigermask48
Maniacal Laugh
I will fly out to LA for the home opener, storm center ice, strip naked and do a dance for all the real fans.
Zero percent chance this team wins the cup.
chris kontos
FILTHY!
- Feb 28, 2023
- 2,910
- 3,232
JUST like arvidson lol
Arvidson is a micro human at least this guy is normal size and probably can mix it up if neccessary. Arvid was a physical liability on d and injury wise so i would think this kuzmenko would be cheaper and at least more physical on d
Ziggy Stardust
Master Debater
