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

[Statto]

I don't get the complaints. I'm an huge DL advocate and backed his plan from day 1 but he'd reached the end and it was time to move on. The moaning at Blake has more to do with what happened all those years ago when he was our Captain. Really, it's time to get over it. We are all different people now, it's what he does now that counts.

Blakes options are limited. He's hamstrung cap wise and asset wise. The level of influence Blakes had with restocking the pipeline is up for debate, but do we really think DL wouldn't have made a move by or at the draft to look for scoring? Blakes best move so far was keeping our top picks.

The signing of MC makes complete sense. The last thing we should do is expose the likes of Kempe into roles they are not yet ready for. If he beats out MC for a top 6 spot then fine, but getting it by default when he's not reeasy risks ruining him as a player. In an ideal world he beats out MC by mid season and claims the top 6 spot as his own and we flip MC for a pick. I don't like the guy but I'm fine under the circumstances. Who else was available for that price that has 20g potential? All the other option would have resulted in bad term at a bad price.

I also like the fact he's setting up camp so there is competition for spots. Our players and depth will also need re-evaluating as their value to us and their fit will be different under a new system. It won't be a revolution but we have the potential to be a lot better by getting the most out of the players we have now. I'd rather be patient and wait and see what we look like under Stevens before we make any big moves, unless a no brainier deal comes up.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Wasn't Lombardi the captain of his college teams? He can speak, he's just very methodical and tends to ramble on. Seems very well read.

I am happy with Blake so far as well but I was waiting for them to find a way to get rid of one of those two bad contacts of Brown and Gabby or at least make a big trade.

 

[BigKing]

I don't think Dean would of made a big move either and would of kept the first rounder.

 

[KINGS17]

"Just get in and anything can happen!!!"

After all it is what happened in 2012. Amirite!?!

 

[damacles1156]

An offensive style team compared to a defensive team. The teams new direction is offense. They fired Sutter and DL because they refused to play an offensive game. Blake has made it evident that the Kings are gonna play the style of the new NHL.

And Reclamation project is right, great drafting, we actually kept our first round pick which was an unfamiliar feeling, and got Folin for nothing, and got a highly touted goalie from notre dame. I mean, I don't remember the kings doing that for a while.

The Kings will largely play the same due to the Roster.

The players make the system, system doesn't make the players.

 

[Ollie Weeks]

I always suspected the Greene buyout was simply to save money. Nearly a million dollars saved with that move.

 

[DryIslandBartender]

Biggest difference between DL and Blake to me, since I've been lucky enough to meet both, is Blake is more personable and charming. This might help more when dealing with college UFAs, players from Europe. IMO DL was not good with negotiations.

DL wanted winners, people that wanted to be in LA to win. Tough negotiations weeds those kind of players out.


Not to be on the beach, temporary vacation spot, or retirement location. Exactly the kind of culture DL wanted to get rid of and seems to be the kind of culture that Blake/Luc are bringing back.

Fully expect next season to be a disaster.

 

[Sol]

Wait, are some people under the impression that Dean would roll over and let the scouts draft the players and never make his own calls? Yes it's the same scouts , but no one here can tell me seriously that Dean didn't influence the drafting of players.

DL was out to lunch, just watch the Bob Miller interview after the flop of a season, and just watch the way DL was during that interview. He seemed really edgy and disconnected from reality.

 

[deaderhead28]

Honestly, how can any of you complain about this? There's potentially a nice reward with zero risk involved.

There is a lot of risk, it's called your core getting older and your window to be a legit contender is one step closer to the end..Love the fresh scent of denial.Some of us said this team isn't a contender for the last few seasons and of course were proven right and attacked for it.Again many are kicking the can down the road making excuses for the same result.Blake did absolutely nothing to fill the needs of this roster to a championship caliber.Cammy is a bottom six depth add, not the top six savior we needed for Kopi.No legit third line center added or quality veteran d-man. Venting done

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

DL wanted winners, people that wanted to be in LA to win. Tough negotiations weeds those kind of players out.


Not to be on the beach, temporary vacation spot, or retirement location. Exactly the kind of culture DL wanted to get rid of and seems to be the kind of culture that Blake/Luc are bringing back.

Fully expect next season to be a disaster.

With all due respect, that is one of the largest leaps I've seen on this board.

 

[Reclamation Project]

Most of Dean's winners were waived before Christmas.

 

[deaderhead28]

With all due respect, that is one of the largest leaps I've seen on this board.

He has a point,Cammy was a me first player and one of the reasons he wasn't kept in LA by Dean.He was bought out by the devils and often hurt.Cammy signing so cheap,you can assume not many teams were calling for his services.You can just listen to his NHL interview to notice the reason he came back.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

He has a point,Cammy was a me first player and one of the reasons he wasn't kept in LA by Dean.He was bought out by the devils and signing so cheap,you can assume not many teams were calling for his services.You can just listen to his NHL interview to notice the reason he came back.

So Blake doesn't sign anyone/Thornton and he's doing nothing.

He does sign some prospects and great value guys, but we use Cammy as an example of the entire organization going back to beach mode. Edit: and actually it wasn't even Cammy as an example; it was a complete assumption that DL is a hardass negotiator vs. Blake being a softie (when really didn't many posters spend the entire last year sobbing about DL's emotional throwing around of money?).

I can't be the only one who sees a gigantic ****ing hole in the logic here.

Stop making me go to bat for Blake. He's done a good deal this summer with pretty much nothing.

 

[Herby]

Cammalleri left because of a big difference in money between him and Dean, that's fine it happens all the time. But let's end the ridiculous statements there, Dean only wanted winners and people who wanted to win in LA and weren't about money, really? A year after trading Cammalleri he brought in Ryan $myth, kind of blows that idea out of the water.

 

[damacles1156]

Blake did what he had to do, he inherited a mess.

But I also am not going to think he is GM of the year for doing what any other GM would have done, put in a similar situation.

Going the college route or Euro route was Blakes only option really.

 

[deaderhead28]

So Blake doesn't sign anyone/Thornton and he's doing nothing.

He does sign some prospects and great value guys, but we use Cammy as an example of the entire organization going back to beach mode. Edit: and actually it wasn't even Cammy as an example; it was a complete assumption that DL is a hardass negotiator vs. Blake being a softie (when really didn't many posters spend the entire last year sobbing about DL's emotional throwing around of money?).

I can't be the only one who sees a gigantic ****ing hole in the logic here.

Stop making me go to bat for Blake. He's done a good deal this summer with pretty much nothing.

Who complained or said anything about Blakes prospect deals? I said Blake has not fixed the holes on this roster to make this team a legit contender.I mentioned that Dean himself the past couple of years made awful decisions and didn't fix the holes on this team and made this team worse off.Making excuses for Blake saying he pretty much has nothing is a lie.Blackhawks seem to reload and win.Make the trade that best fills the needs or sale and get value and rebuild.Blakes seem scared to make a serious trade and wasting this cores time.

 

[damacles1156]

People are overrating a return of what Muzzin/A-Mart would get.

Both guys are older then teams would like to swap cost controlled young scoring forwards

Not to mention Muzzin/A-Mart both are coming off poor years on the Defensive side of the puck.

 

[Butch 19]

Blake did what he had to do, he inherited a mess.

Just like DL did when he arrived on the scene those many years ago.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Who complained or said anything about Blakes prospect deals? I said Blake has not fixed the holes on this roster to make this team a legit contender.I mentioned that Dean himself the past couple of years made awful decisions and didn't fix the holes on this team and made this team worse off.Making excuses for Blake saying he pretty much has nothing is a lie.Blackhawks seem to reload and win.Make the trade that best fills the needs or sale and get value and rebuild.Blakes seem scared to make a serious trade and wasting this cores time.

1. well, you quoted me responding to a comment that suggested we've returned to the 'country club' contract days, so....

2. Blackhawks just went out as hard as we did in 2015.

3. I'm willing to give Blake a little more than 3 months before I go "yeah, what a coward," especially since he's--judging by moves--looking to continue competing but not 'all-in,' with an eye for the future as evidenced by young prospect signings.

 

[King'sPawn]

Who complained or said anything about Blakes prospect deals? I said Blake has not fixed the holes on this roster to make this team a legit contender.I mentioned that Dean himself the past couple of years made awful decisions and didn't fix the holes on this team and made this team worse off.Making excuses for Blake saying he pretty much has nothing is a lie.Blackhawks seem to reload and win.Make the trade that best fills the needs or sale and get value and rebuild.Blakes seem scared to make a serious trade and wasting this cores time.

Those holes will not be fixed day 1 of free agency.

He has handled the past couple months exactly as they needed to be handled. Bring in depth players. Draft high end skill. Use resources to refill the cupboards.

I love DL. I am eternally grateful for him. But Blake brings an element of ruthlessness that Lombardi didn't show, because Lombardi had a more familial and bonded approach.

 

[Bandit]

With all due respect, that is one of the largest leaps I've seen on this board.

?

Seems like some of you are suffering from post-Lombardi amnesia. Dean absolutely said that and was referring specifically to guys like Cammalleri and Demitra. He also said something along the lines of "it's easy to be a "top" player on a bad team", again referring to the guys that had been here. Are we on our way back to the bad old days of collect a paycheck and play some beach volleyball? Who knows, but that was stated almost verbatim by Lombardi, and what he wanted to change when he got here (and succeeded, for a while anyway).

 

[King'sPawn]

?

Seems like some of you are suffering from post-Lombardi amnesia. Dean absolutely said that and was referring specifically to guys like Cammalleri and Demitra. Are we on our way back to the bad old days of collect a paycheck and play some beach volleyball? Who knows, but that was stated almost verbatim by Lombardi, and what he wanted to change when he got here (and succeeded, for a while anyway).

I am okay with signing low risk guys, even if they signed for the wrong reason.

But yes, you're right. Lombardi has said multiple times (plus to me many years ago) that there were players who wanted to sign for the weather instead of wanting to make a difference or having a buy in to the culture.

 

[damacles1156]

Those holes will not be fixed day 1 of free agency.

He has handled the past couple months exactly as they needed to be handled. Bring in depth players. Draft high end skill. Use resources to refill the cupboards.

I love DL. I am eternally grateful for him. But Blake brings an element of ruthlessness that Lombardi didn't show, because Lombardi had a more familial and bonded approach.

Nothing Blake has done is ruthless, Heck Lombardi Traded Jack Johnson, after Jack signed a very friendly deal (without an agent).

That's Ruthless.

Blake hasn't had to make any (hard) decisions yet. If the Kings miss the playoffs again, then we will see what Blake is made of.

 

[Bandit]

I am okay with signing low risk guys, even if they signed for the wrong reason.

But yes, you're right. Lombardi has said multiple times (plus to me many years ago) that there were players who wanted to sign for the weather instead of wanting to make a difference or having a buy in to the culture.

Absolutely, nothing wrong with this deal, especially considering what the alternatives were. It's just weird to me that as Lombardi's legacy fades into the distance that people are forgetting/re-writing it at the speed of light.

 

[SFKingshomer]

I thought for sure Blake would put his stamp on the team with a big move but it's early. His hands are tied though so I can understand if he doesn't do much.