Confirmed with Link: Kings signing Cammalleri to 1/yr deal, 1m + bonuses

[DryIslandBartender]

I would just like to know the level of involvement by Robitaille and Blake in the Kopitar negotiations. Rarely do you see a GM say, "Not even in the same ballpark.", then get completely bent over.

Kopitar' agent was Brisson. Take a wild guess who represented Blake and Robitaille? Who does Brisson consider his best friend?

Once you figure that out, the level of involvement is pretty obvious.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

It was a bad year all around. Not too many guys had good years all the way through. Carter was good, then couldn't score. Kopitar was couldn't score, then sort of got back to it a bit. Toffoli was hurt. Gaborik was hurt. Quick was hurt. Muzzin was awful from the start of the World Cup. Doughty wasn't what the Kings needed him to be. Too many guys were below average, for who knows which reason here or there.


Which players? Taylor had a few teams that were good and tried. Then of course we know how things went with Allison and Deadmarsh. After the lockout, Roenick ended up as a train wreck all around, but who else was here that didn't care?


I'm more in the Lombardi was emotionally attached to the players that won for him camp. Just don't see it as an accountability thing. Maybe they're one in the same.

Ends up the worst thing to happen was that crazy run in 2014. The intangibles of it. If they went out in 4 or 5 quiet games to the Sharks, like they did in 2016, who knows what Lombardi would've done. Buy Richards out, let Greene, Gaborik, and Mitchell go. Hang onto Williams probably, but maybe would've been more likely to trade him the next season. Before the 2015 deadline, they went on that winning streak, and it was that "anything can happen with the Kings" team again. If they could've just made the playoffs that year, win or lose, I'm not sure the Lucic deal happens, as Lombardi wouldn't have had the 1st rounder in 2015 to trade.

As I've come to think, the 14-15 season will always be the biggest what if of the Lombardi era. Gaborik had a solid season. Couldn't have seen the Voynov situation coming. If he had still been there, then there's probably no Sekera at the deadline, and who knows how it would've gone instead.


I know Lombardi liked to talk about how the Wings kept things going for a long time, but there's a reason that's rarely been done. Detroit is basically the only example since the Canadiens in their last dynasty years, which was a vastly different league. Detroit did most of their damage in a different league as well.

Lombardi had a plan, might have been on the way to losing his job before the Carter trade worked out, and then tried to keep the ride going as long as he could. Did we all think the run was over at the end of the 14-15 season? Or did most people think well, it was one bad year, with a lot of weird stuff happening? I didn't think it was completely done. They were at the top of the division until the last day in 15-16. Kopitar was back to scoring. Doughty was winning a Norris. Quick was up for the Vezina.

Why should he have cared about the future of the franchise? It's not like it's his. He was an employee that could get fired. Brown, Kopitar, Doughty, and Quick don't care about the future of the Kings either. GM's are supposed to have a bit of a long term outlook, but I think 2 Cups in 3 years changes perspective a bit. You're not in that position all the time as a GM.

Really good post re: the dominoes that can fall.

Re: Detroit, I remember that, and I remember him talking about being good for a really long time. I think that's easy to say until you're the GM of a Cup-WCF-Cup team that's struggling to make the playoffs with roughly the same personnel while banking on a key d-man's court case. Can kind of throw the plans out the window while you try to do something truly special (i.e. when in the situation where you could ignore this season and continue thinking towards the future, or shoot for your 3rd cup in four years), and then he believed in his squad so much he held on too long. Someone around the time he got fired talked about the players visiting him and if he was too loyal, that's a fine way to live. I kind of agree with that, though I obviously also agree his time had come. Can't forsee a lot of the stuff he went thru to get to this point though--especially Voynov. Can you imagine if Chicago had permalost Hammer in 2015? Keith was already playing 35 minutes a game. That's an understated 'need' in team construction.

 

[Scottkmlps]

Kopitar' agent was Brisson. Take a wild guess who represented Blake and Robitaille? Who does Brisson consider his best friend?

Once you figure that out, the level of involvement is pretty obvious.

Also taking note that Robitaille was Brissons first client, getting him the start into being a player agent, you can bet Robitaille had quite a bit of involvement.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Brisson also reps Toffoli, and look at the great deal the current management got him to agree to.

 

[BigKing]

@BK,

You say Sutter should have been moved but not DL?

I just don't get it based on these moves since 2014. Keeping Richards, all the rentals, the laughably bad cap management, which was almost made even worse by the Lucic 7 year offer that Dean made. I mean, could you imagine adding that contract to the ones we already have?

Lombardi had no regard whatsoever for the future of this franchise with the trades and signings he made, he was basically the guy going to a loan shark and then taking the money to a casino, he was completely out of control by the end. In fact had AEG not made a move I think it would have been fair to question them as owners. The management from 2014-17 was as bad as I've seen since I've been a fan.

You know where I stand on the Richards decision so we agree on that one; however, we both understand why he did it coming off of the insane 2014 run. He shouldn't be blind to what was going on but he was and he made a horrible decision that bled into the next season and compounded the drama already surrounding the team via Voynov.

I also understand the Lucic trade but agree it was a giant gamble. I believe they thought they would get Voynov back so adding Lucic makes sense for a big run at another Cup. Of course, without Voynov, that team isn't as good so then it becomes an even larger gamble that was ultimately lost. Still believe he thought Lucic would sign here for less money if the team won the Cup or at least made the SCF. Win one playoff game? Nobody in their right mind would take a discount and most still wouldn't do so to stay even after winning the Cup. There was certainly a large amount of hubris since he had the Midas Touch for three straight years prior.

We can agree on Summer '14 up to the 2016 off-season. It's at this point I look at what he did and don't agree with the heavy criticism he takes. What did he do? Nothing basically. Same thing Blake just did. They mentioned young guys and that they didn't really have cap space to do much. We don't know what was going on during the season internally but it seems like DL wanted to keep Kempe and others in Ontario and that irked others in the organization. You see what they contributed though and you have to ask yourself was he wrong for wanting them to continue incubating in larger roles for Ontario as opposed to joining the **** show that was last season.

So the proof that Lombardi had completely lost it is this Lucic contract offer that has turned into a big fish story around here when justifying his firing. He didn't offer seven years: he offered eight. Even worse, right? Well, they only offered $34MM over those eight years so a cap hit of $4.25MM. Could I imagine adding that contract to the ones they already have? Lucic at $4.25MM cap with a contract that I assume would be as front-loaded as possible? I can easily imagine that contract. Can't look at this in a vacuum either as Lucic helped make the $14MM man look much better than he did in '15 or in '17.

I don't really think DL did anything last year that was insane. Damage was done previously. Only thing I didn't like was the Bishop move due to including Cernak but they have to be down on him to include him in such a deal. I'm on the bad trade side of that argument at the moment but, if he doesn't pan out, it will flip to another missed pick during the first half of this decade.

DL would have kept the #11OA this year. They were scouting these NCAA/KHL guys and would of tried to sign them. Credit to Blake for helping close the deals but, **** man, this is just like DL's last off-season but with more and better draft picks and the FA prospect signings. It even included missing out on a UFA that many were worried about giving too much term too. This is not some giant paradigm shift in how the Kings operate or think.

So, again, Sutter had to go because the roster wasn't going to be changed and we've seen enough of this roster under Sutter. They fire DL, bring in Blake and he does jack **** to the NHL roster. "But he can't do anything because of DL's screw ups". Sure he can. He can do whatever he wants to do to the current roster. They've chosen to keep it basically the same and stated right off the hop that they believe they are a contender as is with Dean's team. I think Dean is smart enough to know they couldn't continue to mortgage the future. I feel he stopped doing that after the Lucic trade to begin with.

Now, AEG spent a lot of money to make the playoffs only once in three years. He is accountable to the owner so I get that. He also helped the Kings make more money than they probably ever did but this is a "what have you done for me lately" business. I just feel that firing DL wasn't a slam dunk like we all knew Sutter would be. I think that the possibility of losing Blake accelerated it and Luc definitely plays a part in that.

All of us with office jobs know there are politics there and certain people with aspirations for higher positions and whatnot. I'm sure the Kings/AEG office is no different: especially when you toss highly competitive, former professional athletes in there. A power play was made and succeeded. The result is Luc is in charge, Blake is the GM, all of Dean's guys are still here in management and Dean's team is going to be out there on opening night.

Except for Dean.

 

[Sacha Baron Corbin]

People thought the Gaborik and Brown extensions were terrific deals given they were coming off Cup wins. NHL network was going crazy that DL signed Gaborik to such a low cap hit. Hindsight 20/20, yeah it looks terrible given the injuries he's suffered.

Brown was extended based on a fire being lit under him with trade rumors. The fact he started playing great after rumors of him being shipped off to New York, says it all. There were Shane Doan l/Claude Lemieux comparisons during those cup runs, and those guys don't grow on trees. Wouldn't be surprised to see him retire soon, he isn't the same player.

I agree on Brown, I actually think both Brown and Gaborik will retire soon. Brown was at least serviceable last season, but I just don't see Gaborik having anything left to give at his age with his injury history

 

[Bandit]

Brown an Gaborik are not going to leave 10-20 million on the table. Expecting them to retire is a wet dream. Voynov really was the deathblow for Lombardi and the Kings' cup window, both on and off the ice.

 

[BigKing]

Brisson also reps Toffoli, and look at the great deal the current management got him to agree to.

Make his buddy Blake look good in one of his first acts as GM, of course

Toffoli is the guy that signs his name on the contract at the end of the day. It's a little under the radar how awesome this guy is and loyal to the Kings. All the charity work he does and a second time signing a contract that appears to be "team friendly".

He is letter-on-the-sweater material.

 

[Reclamation Project]

The best resolution now is Brown improving his play last season and Gaborik being put on LTIR.

 

[AlphaBravo]

The contracts of Gaborik and Brown are not the reason why the Kings are in this mess. The problem is that we traded away so many first rounders and other picks that we don't have any young top 6 forwards in the pipeline to add a boost to this team. Even if we have 15 million in cap space now, how do we use it? There were no options in the free agency market, and we cannot afford to give away more picks to make a trade.

I also think our situation now is just the natural life cycle of being cup winners. You have to take gambles to try to give your team an edge to win the cup and this is the price we are paying now. Could DL have handled the circumstances post 2014 better? Sure. But he does not have a crystal ball, and decided to take some chances that did not pan out.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

How many player personnel transactions did Lombardi make since the last Cup win that turned out to be considered great and put the team in a great position for the foreseeable future? I can't think of much. The Lucic trade was for a short term gain that did not pay off in the playoffs. The Sekera and Versteeg additions would have been worthwhile had they found a way to retain them, but that didn't happen and those players prospered elsewhere.

How much leeway do you give him and Sutter? The Pens that reached the Cup Final in back-to-back years and won it in 2009 canned their GM and coach, and their fans wanted both Shero and Bylsma gone years before they were released. And neither one has found any success since leaving Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, Jim Rutherford is looking like a genius, not only for his player transactions that have paid off immensely (like acquiring Schultz and Daley for peanuts), but his decision to hire Mike Sullivan was one of the best moves he's made as a GM.

Both Lombardi and Sutter couldn't adapt to change. They've demonstrated how stubborn they are with the team they've iced since failing to reach the playoffs in 2015. The past three seasons have been an embarrassment.

 

[BigKing]

How many player personnel transactions did Lombardi make since the last Cup win that turned out to be considered great and put the team in a great position for the foreseeable future? I can't think of much. The Lucic trade was for a short term gain that did not pay off in the playoffs. The Sekera and Versteeg additions would have been worthwhile had they found a way to retain them, but that didn't happen and those players prospered elsewhere.

How much leeway do you give him and Sutter? The Pens that reached the Cup Final in back-to-back years and won it in 2009 canned their GM and coach, and their fans wanted both Shero and Bylsma gone years before they were released. And neither one has found any success since leaving Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, Jim Rutherford is looking like a genius, not only for his player transactions that have paid off immensely (like acquiring Schultz and Daley for peanuts), but his decision to hire Mike Sullivan was one of the best moves he's made as a GM.

Both Lombardi and Sutter couldn't adapt to change. They've demonstrated how stubborn they are with the team they've iced since failing to reach the playoffs in 2015. The past three seasons have been an embarrassment.

Shaping up for four seasons of it. If this season isn't an embarrassment, it will be because of the players playing better for a different coach and not because of Blake since it is the same team.

Unless Cammy pots 20.

 

[KingsFan7824]

We can agree on Summer '14 up to the 2016 off-season. It's at this point I look at what he did and don't agree with the heavy criticism he takes. What did he do? Nothing basically. Same thing Blake just did. They mentioned young guys and that they didn't really have cap space to do much. We don't know what was going on during the season internally but it seems like DL wanted to keep Kempe and others in Ontario and that irked others in the organization. You see what they contributed though and you have to ask yourself was he wrong for wanting them to continue incubating in larger roles for Ontario as opposed to joining the **** show that was last season.

I don't really think DL did anything last year that was insane. Damage was done previously. Only thing I didn't like was the Bishop move due to including Cernak but they have to be down on him to include him in such a deal. I'm on the bad trade side of that argument at the moment but, if he doesn't pan out, it will flip to another missed pick during the first half of this decade.

DL would have kept the #11OA this year. They were scouting these NCAA/KHL guys and would of tried to sign them. Credit to Blake for helping close the deals but, **** man, this is just like DL's last off-season but with more and better draft picks and the FA prospect signings. It even included missing out on a UFA that many were worried about giving too much term too. This is not some giant paradigm shift in how the Kings operate or think.

So, again, Sutter had to go because the roster wasn't going to be changed and we've seen enough of this roster under Sutter. They fire DL, bring in Blake and he does jack **** to the NHL roster. "But he can't do anything because of DL's screw ups". Sure he can. He can do whatever he wants to do to the current roster. They've chosen to keep it basically the same and stated right off the hop that they believe they are a contender as is with Dean's team. I think Dean is smart enough to know they couldn't continue to mortgage the future. I feel he stopped doing that after the Lucic trade to begin with.

He got Versteeg after Lucic, so I'd say he stopped doing it after the 1 playoff win. That's when I think he realized the roster wasn't worth investing in again until they proved they were. I doubt he thought he could get Lucic to re-sign unless they won the Cup in 2016. Lombardi did let guys go when they didn't win. Penner and Scuderi in 2013. Williams and Sekera in 2015. When they did win though, he tried keeping those teams together as much as he could.

I thought what Lombardi did after 15-16 made sense. The minor free agent signings he made were the same sort of place fillers as they were back in 2007. If they help, great, if not, then it lets a young guy get a chance. It was up to the highly paid vets to lead the way, and damn near every one of them had a down season. They showed they weren't worth investing in last year, and he gave up nothing for Iginla, got a pick for King, and brought in Bishop(and moved up a round or two in the draft) for what may or may not be anything. They've brought in a couple younger defensemen since that have as good a chance as Cernak to make the NHL.

It's another prove it season for the team. Even more so than last year, considering how all the top players played(or didn't) for a lot, most, or all of last season. If they do something, maybe Blake adds to the team. If they don't, might see a few guys traded.

 

[BigKing]

He got Versteeg after Lucic, so I'd say he stopped doing it after the 1 playoff win. That's when I think he realized the roster wasn't worth investing in again until they proved they were. I doubt he thought he could get Lucic to re-sign unless they won the Cup in 2016. Lombardi did let guys go when they didn't win. Penner and Scuderi in 2013. Williams and Sekera in 2015. When they did win though, he tried keeping those teams together as much as he could.

I thought what Lombardi did after 15-16 made sense. The minor free agent signings he made were the same sort of place fillers as they were back in 2007. If they help, great, if not, then it lets a young guy get a chance. It was up to the highly paid vets to lead the way, and damn near every one of them had a down season. They showed they weren't worth investing in last year, and he gave up nothing for Iginla, got a pick for King, and brought in Bishop(and moved up a round or two in the draft) for what may or may not be anything. They've brought in a couple younger defensemen since that have as good a chance as Cernak to make the NHL.

It's another prove it season for the team. Even more so than last year, considering how all the top players played(or didn't) for a lot, most, or all of last season. If they do something, maybe Blake adds to the team. If they don't, might see a few guys traded.

Right about Versteeg as I didn't like it at the time. Might wind up being a case of a bad draft pick in Zykov than a bad trade.

Point stands though that DL gave up the ghost following 2016 and failing to retain Lucic. Hands the "C" to the guy that is supposed to lead this team into its next phase. Only thing he didn't give up on was Sutter which was my real issue with Lombardi's 2016 off-season since Sutter was at-or-coming-up-to his standard expiration date per his previous stops.

Isn't there some rumor going around that he refused to fire Sutter so they both had to go? Not sure if I believe that, but it makes sense when you see Dean's staff, Deans hand-picked Sutter replacement and Dean's team still here.

 

[Reclamation Project]

He was going to fire him in, decided not to, and then extended him, lol.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

You know where I stand on the Richards decision so we agree on that one; however, we both understand why he did it coming off of the insane 2014 run. He shouldn't be blind to what was going on but he was and he made a horrible decision that bled into the next season and compounded the drama already surrounding the team via Voynov.

I also understand the Lucic trade but agree it was a giant gamble. I believe they thought they would get Voynov back so adding Lucic makes sense for a big run at another Cup. Of course, without Voynov, that team isn't as good so then it becomes an even larger gamble that was ultimately lost. Still believe he thought Lucic would sign here for less money if the team won the Cup or at least made the SCF. Win one playoff game? Nobody in their right mind would take a discount and most still wouldn't do so to stay even after winning the Cup. There was certainly a large amount of hubris since he had the Midas Touch for three straight years prior.

We can agree on Summer '14 up to the 2016 off-season. It's at this point I look at what he did and don't agree with the heavy criticism he takes. What did he do? Nothing basically. Same thing Blake just did. They mentioned young guys and that they didn't really have cap space to do much. We don't know what was going on during the season internally but it seems like DL wanted to keep Kempe and others in Ontario and that irked others in the organization. You see what they contributed though and you have to ask yourself was he wrong for wanting them to continue incubating in larger roles for Ontario as opposed to joining the **** show that was last season.

So the proof that Lombardi had completely lost it is this Lucic contract offer that has turned into a big fish story around here when justifying his firing. He didn't offer seven years: he offered eight. Even worse, right? Well, they only offered $34MM over those eight years so a cap hit of $4.25MM. Could I imagine adding that contract to the ones they already have? Lucic at $4.25MM cap with a contract that I assume would be as front-loaded as possible? I can easily imagine that contract. Can't look at this in a vacuum either as Lucic helped make the $14MM man look much better than he did in '15 or in '17.

I don't really think DL did anything last year that was insane. Damage was done previously. Only thing I didn't like was the Bishop move due to including Cernak but they have to be down on him to include him in such a deal. I'm on the bad trade side of that argument at the moment but, if he doesn't pan out, it will flip to another missed pick during the first half of this decade.

DL would have kept the #11OA this year. They were scouting these NCAA/KHL guys and would of tried to sign them. Credit to Blake for helping close the deals but, **** man, this is just like DL's last off-season but with more and better draft picks and the FA prospect signings. It even included missing out on a UFA that many were worried about giving too much term too. This is not some giant paradigm shift in how the Kings operate or think.

So, again, Sutter had to go because the roster wasn't going to be changed and we've seen enough of this roster under Sutter. They fire DL, bring in Blake and he does jack **** to the NHL roster. "But he can't do anything because of DL's screw ups". Sure he can. He can do whatever he wants to do to the current roster. They've chosen to keep it basically the same and stated right off the hop that they believe they are a contender as is with Dean's team. I think Dean is smart enough to know they couldn't continue to mortgage the future. I feel he stopped doing that after the Lucic trade to begin with.

Now, AEG spent a lot of money to make the playoffs only once in three years. He is accountable to the owner so I get that. He also helped the Kings make more money than they probably ever did but this is a "what have you done for me lately" business. I just feel that firing DL wasn't a slam dunk like we all knew Sutter would be. I think that the possibility of losing Blake accelerated it and Luc definitely plays a part in that.

All of us with office jobs know there are politics there and certain people with aspirations for higher positions and whatnot. I'm sure the Kings/AEG office is no different: especially when you toss highly competitive, former professional athletes in there. A power play was made and succeeded. The result is Luc is in charge, Blake is the GM, all of Dean's guys are still here in management and Dean's team is going to be out there on opening night.

Except for Dean.

Perfect post. Agreed 100%.

Sutter absolutely had to go. The team had quit on him. You can't fire a team. You can fire a coach.

I'm still not sold on firing Dean. If it came down to Dean stubbornly refusing to fire Sutter, I get that. But I feel like Dean only began to right the ship last offseason (by not re-signing Lucic). He should have been given another two years to do so.

Dean was dealt a lot of ****** cards. Voynov. Richards. Etc. Let's watch any contender in the league lose their #2 defenseman and #2 center for NOTHING and try to recover.

Dean didn't react well to either of these scenarios, but he doesn't get a fair shake these days.

Meanwhile, green horn Blake basically follows the Dean Lombardi's Guide to Offseasons to a ****ing tee and is heralded as the savior of the franchise.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

LOL, I don't get those being critical of Blake already. What should he have done? Given more money to Toffoli and Pearson and not sign Petersen or Folin? You guys are comparing him to Lombardi because he signed Cammalleri to a $1M contract?

Some of you can't be reasoned with and are blinded by your irrational dislike for what Blake did in 2001.

 

[Herby]

So let me get this narrative straight.

In 2015 Dean wanted to fire Sutter a year after winning the cup but was blocked by AEG.

Then in 2017 after one playoff win in three seasons DL refused to fire Sutter and fell on his sword for him?

Please tell me you guys don't believe this stuff.

 

[Reclamation Project]

I'm tired of hearing how Dean's desperate attempt to salvage Lucic was him learning. He didn't learn anything, he lost out to Edmonton who offered an even more ridiculous offer. Richards and Kovalchuk come to mind. This wasn't a moment of clarity for him, he lost to Edmonton, just like the offseason before with Sekera.

I'll give him Voynov because that was completely random, but he had an ace in the hole on Richards and his loyalty bit him in the ass yet again. He got lucky with Richards and we'll have the cap hit on the books until the sun supernovas.

They both had to go and Sutter should have been let go in 2015 if all the turmoil is to be believed.

Absolutely absurd how critical people are being of Blake given he's been running the show for what, three months? Give me a break. He has NO options right now to improve this team.

 

[Herby]

Perfect post. Agreed 100%.

Sutter absolutely had to go. The team had quit on him. You can't fire a team. You can fire a coach.

I'm still not sold on firing Dean. If it came down to Dean stubbornly refusing to fire Sutter, I get that. But I feel like Dean only began to right the ship last offseason (by not re-signing Lucic). He should have been given another two years to do so.

Dean was dealt a lot of ****** cards. Voynov. Richards. Etc. Let's watch any contender in the league lose their #2 defenseman and #2 center for NOTHING and try to recover.

Dean didn't react well to either of these scenarios, but he doesn't get a fair shake these days.

Meanwhile, green horn Blake basically follows the Dean Lombardi's Guide to Offseasons to a ****ing tee and is heralded as the savior of the franchise.

But he tried to re-sign Lucic to an 8 year deal, that proves he didn't learn squat from the other awful contracts.

And the Kings won a cup with Richards playing terribly as a 4th line center. Carter was there 2C in 2014 and almost everyone knew he was going to be that going forward (credit to Lombardi for trading for him). Had the Kings done the logical thing and CBO'ed Richards they would have lost an almost $6m a year fourth liner/AHL'er.

Voynov is obviously a tough break and bad luck, no disputing that one.

 

[Statto]

LOL, I don't get those being critical of Blake already. What should he have done? Given more money to Toffoli and Pearson and not sign Petersen or Folin? You guys are comparing him to Lombardi because he signed Cammalleri to a $1M contract?

Some of you can't be reasoned with and are blinded by your irrational dislike for what Blake did in 2001.

Correct. It's all about 2001, it really is time to move on. It has no bearing on his role now.

 

[Sol]

I think Lombardi had the chance to fix the team for sure, just watch his interview with Bob. He seemed like he was doing quick fixes instead of being patient to fix the team. Lombardi gave up the future and took big risks to fix the team.took two big risks right after each other, and both failed miserably. Kings needed him gone, along with Sutter. One thing good though, is that after seeing the ridiculous cap hits players are getting now, after a couple years, Kopitars contract would be considered a good one. That is, if he becomes the player he is supposed to be.

 

[Reclamation Project]

At a certain point everyone becomes stale. It was time to move on.

A certain GM in Detroit comes to mind...

 

[Sol]

How many player personnel transactions did Lombardi make since the last Cup win that turned out to be considered great and put the team in a great position for the foreseeable future? I can't think of much. The Lucic trade was for a short term gain that did not pay off in the playoffs. The Sekera and Versteeg additions would have been worthwhile had they found a way to retain them, but that didn't happen and those players prospered elsewhere.

How much leeway do you give him and Sutter? The Pens that reached the Cup Final in back-to-back years and won it in 2009 canned their GM and coach, and their fans wanted both Shero and Bylsma gone years before they were released. And neither one has found any success since leaving Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, Jim Rutherford is looking like a genius, not only for his player transactions that have paid off immensely (like acquiring Schultz and Daley for peanuts), but his decision to hire Mike Sullivan was one of the best moves he's made as a GM.

Both Lombardi and Sutter couldn't adapt to change. They've demonstrated how stubborn they are with the team they've iced since failing to reach the playoffs in 2015. The past three seasons have been an embarrassment.

This.
Lombardi and Sutter didn't adapt, and Lombardi refused to learn.

 

[Sol]

Shaping up for four seasons of it. If this season isn't an embarrassment, it will be because of the players playing better for a different coach and not because of Blake since it is the same team.

Unless Cammy pots 20.

If this season isn't an embarrassment it can also be the fact that Blake wants to make the team Offensive and adapt to the new NHL, unlike Lombardi who was all defense + old NHL.

So it's not as cut and dry as you make it seem to be