LA Kings the most disastrously run franchise in the league

[Raccoon Jesus]

Welcome to being a mid-2000s Oilers fan.

Nepotism is a scary tool. You either die a hero....

oh no they were villains before

then died

and came back as villains

 

[AD1066]

I mean, there is no Kings fan happy with how the team has been ran recently, especially in regard to asset management. They've made some debatable signings and trades coupled with some egregiously bad trades, did a good job of acquiring picks and prospects only to not develop them due to their signings and trades to try to force competing again before their two legends, Kopitar and Doughty, expire and hang them up. There aren't many who are happy with Blake and Luc right now and virtually everyone wants them gone.

However, the worst run franchise in the league? Over getting rid of PLD? PLD is one of the worst traps in the entire league. Everyone who doesn't watch him regularly sees a young center with size who has a history of production and just needs the right fit and utilization. Everyone with eyes that has seen him play sees someone who utterly hates the game of hockey, does not care about his team or teammates in any way shape or form, and is counting the days until his retirement where he can sunbathe and never have to work again. People think this is an exaggeration or hate party, but you literally just have to watch him play. He plays the most ininspired disengaged form of hockey ever witnessed by someone with his size and talents. His shot is uninspired and goes straight into the logo, he doesn't skate, backcheck, or do board work. He glides around the center and then glides back to the bench. He will not defend the net and will watch opposing teams shoot and score at will at stick length away.

There is something to a player trying and failing or just not being good enough. You don't hate them because they at least try; you are annoyed with them instead and treat them as a scapegoat. But to have a player that is actively and knowingly sabatoging the team and doesn't care is a very potent drain to morale. He's a player that just walks away from a coach talking to him without saying anything in full Elon mode.

The Kings literally would have taken any return for PLD and there would have been dancing in the streets. No matter the cost, there was absolutely no future ahead for the team if PLD's NMC kicked in and you were stuck with him on the roster along with his contract for the better of the next decade. Trading him was the best move Blake has made. It's all his fault and a net negative that we lost essentially Vilardi being the only thing of note over the debacle, but realizing the mistake and getting rid of him was the least that could be done...

To emphasize the bolded:

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Publicity stunts, especially in Blake’s’ case.
I grew up loving those guys, but they needed to win anything as players by being Special Guest Stars in someone else’s show.

As execs? f*** em. They ruined my team.

Just the bolded....so.....what are your thoughts on Ray Bourque?

 

[Lt Dan]

Just the bolded....so.....what are your thoughts on Ray Bourque?

I kinda wish they put him in movies like Cam Neeley.


Sea Bass ftw

 

[kirby11]

Sabres fan here. There is no way the Kings are run worse than us

 

[bland]

To emphasize the bolded:

We saw that same shift on a nightly basis.

Then to think we traded that for a 34 year old retread coming off a poor season with 3 years left on his deal, and used the extra space on Edmundson.

What's worse, $8.5 per for Dubois, or $9+ for Kuemper and Edmundson?

At least the latter doesn't screw with chemistry and will be over in 4 years instead of 7.

 

[ClarkSittler]

Leafs most inept franchise in all of sports. Lol

There has been a lack of championship success for a long long time but there are so many franchises in ALL OF SPORTS that are worse run and have been worse run. Lmao.

Name me a single franchise in the 4 major sports beside the Leafs that hasn't at least made the finals in the last 57 years. I'll wait.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Name me a single franchise in the 4 major sports beside the Leafs that hasn't at least made the finals in the last 57 years. I'll wait.

The Detroit Lions.

Not defending the Leafs, just stating a fact.

 

[Lt Dan]

Name me a single franchise in the 4 major sports beside the Leafs that hasn't at least made the finals in the last 57 years. I'll wait.

The Sacramento Kings have not made the NBA finals in 71 years

 

[ClarkSittler]

The Detroit Lions.

Not defending the Leafs, just stating a fact.

No you're right, that's why I said possibly in all of sports. They are definitely the worst in the NHL, but the Lions and the Seattle Mariners in baseball might be worse. Seattle has another 10 years of futility before they catch up to the Leafs though.

 

[ClarkSittler]

The Sacramento Kings have not made the NBA finals in 71 years

Yeah but they didn't become the Sacramento Kings until 1985, so their fans haven't suffered like Leafs, Lions and Mariner fans. As a franchise I agree they suck.

 

[Lt Dan]

Yeah but they didn't become the Sacramento Kings until 1985, so their fans haven't suffered like Leafs, Lions and Mariner fans. As a franchise I agree they suck.

They live in Sacramento. They have suffered more than you could possibly imagine

 

[KapG]

Name me a single franchise in the 4 major sports beside the Leafs that hasn't at least made the finals in the last 57 years. I'll wait.

Cleveland browns.

That was way too easy.

No you're right, that's why I said possibly in all of sports. They are definitely the worst in the NHL, but the Lions and the Seattle Mariners in baseball might be worse. Seattle has another 10 years of futility before they catch up to the Leafs though.

People giving you multiple examples now too. Leafs have been one of the biggest disappointments in professional sports th least 60 years but there are several franchises who are more inept like give me a break.

 

[LudwigVonKarlsson]

close, but it's still resoundingly the ottawa senators.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I think we can all agree that the only thing really separating the Kings from the franchises mentioned is 2012-2014, right?

I'm not downplaying that, it's no small footnote, but outside of that good grief

 

[Lt Dan]

I think we can all agree that the only thing really separating the Kings from the franchises mentioned is 2012-2014, right?

I'm not downplaying that, it's no small footnote, but outside of that good grief

 

[benfranklin]

Easily the Sabres.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

The Kings have won two cups in the last 12 years, the Leafs haven't won one in 57 years.

Not to mention, even after having 4 top 10 picks in a matter of five years they've won exactly one playoff game past the first round in the last 21 years.

Since the Leafs last won a cup, every single Canadian team has been to the finals at least once except Toronto.

The Leafs are the most inept franchise in the NHL and possibly all of sports for the last 50+ years.

I'd take those two King's Stanley Cups and wouldn't care if we didn't make the playoffs for 10 years straight.

This is like saying Iran is the greatest country in the world because the Persian Empire used to be great.

 

[Stimpythecat]

Is it too late to say the Clippers have had only one conference finals appearance in 54 years?

See, even people in LA forget about the Clippers!

Los Angeles Clippers Playoff History - RealGM

Los Angeles Clippers scores, news, schedule, players, stats, rumors, depth charts and more on RealGM.com

basketball.realgm.com

 

[ClarkSittler]

Cleveland browns.

That was way too easy.


People giving you multiple examples now too. Leafs have been one of the biggest disappointments in professional sports th least 60 years but there are several franchises who are more inept like give me a break.

Several as in two, The Lions and the Browns.

The Leafs are the most inept franchise in hockey and 1 of 3 in all four major sports.

This is like saying Iran is the greatest country in the world because the Persian Empire used to be great.

Well if the Kings are Persia, the Leafs are Assyria.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

One cannot let go of PLD for nothing because by the very act of letting go of PLD one has gained something.

 

[BigKing]

Woah woah, as executives sure, but they both had Hall of Fame playing careers and have their numbers retired by the team...

I don't have any issues with Luc as a player. Left on more than one occasion but always came back and, in the case of the first time, it revitalized his career. He feels like an LA King even with the other stops but Robert Bowlby Blake does not.

Awesome first four seasons but then he goes into injury mode the next three seasons, starting off with missing 50% of the '95 lockout season, 76 games the following season and then 20 games the next. Kings haven't made the playoffs for four seasons now, missing every year since the '93 SCF appearance.

We then get the amazing '98 season with the Norris and the Kings finally making the playoffs again, only to get swept in the first round, putting the Kings on an 0-8 streak in their last eight playoff games. Lot of hope for the next season but he drops off a bit and also misses 20 games again while the Kings miss the playoffs. Bounces back the next season in 2000, playing 77 games and finishing third in Norris voting; however, the Kings are swept in the first round once again for a tidy 0-12 in their last 12 playoff games.

That takes us into 2001 and the contract dispute. Yes, Blake was lowballed to start things off but the guy ripped the "C" off his jersey over it, an extremely selfish act. Granted, he's playing great that season but he also wasn't going to accept anything on the contract side that wasn't market or top-of-the-market due to NHLPA concerns. So the trade to Colorado happens and, lo and behold, the Kings finally win a f***ing playoff game for the first time since Game 1 of the '93 SCF only to have Rob Blake's new team knock the Kings out not only that season but the season following with the latter including a hip check on Palffy that took a huge bite out of him in Game 6.

Then he comes back for big money so he can fart around South Bay and play beach volleyball. At the trade deadline in the final year of his deal, he invokes his no trade clause in a trade to San Jose and then, you can't make this up, SIGNS AS A UFA IN SAN JOSE THAT OFFSEASON!

He played in all or parts of 14 seasons in LA, five in Colorado. He has 57 total playoff games as an LA King, 68 in Colorado. Hell, he has 21 playoff games for San Jose and he only played there for two seasons. 49 of those 57 playoff games were in his first four seasons: after 1993, he only appeared in eight playoff games as a King and they lost every one of them.

He has now been the GM of the Kings for seven seasons. They have played 22 playoff games in those seven seasons with a record of 6-16. The record at home in those playoff games is 2-8. He was allowed to tank and rebuild, trading real NHL players for picks/prospects of which he has pretty much squandered all of them in an amazing mismanagement of assets that is deserving of this thread. If he was doing in this in an actual hockey market, this thread would have been made much, much sooner.

He has been a poison pill on this organization ever since he became the face of it during the dark days following the '93 SCF appearance and the eventual Gretzky trade. Then he goes to a real rival at the time and continues to assist the Kings playoff failures while going on to win a Cup. Then he comes back, basically steals a pay check and then nixes a trade at the deadline to a team he wound up signing with anyways: another rival no less. Retiring his number was a joke and, IMO, doesn't happen without Robitaille pushing it and all the goodwill earned from winning two Cups, i.e. even the fans that hate Blake won't care because they are all happy as pigs in shit since the ceremony is only six months removed from the 2014 Cup.

It is truly insane that he has been bending over fans of the LA Kings since the year 2001. He tarnished his legacy as a Kings player a long time ago but what he's doing now is putting himself down as potentially the most hated King alumnus of all-time.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

Too many ifs for too many years. He's clearly a headcase at this point, bouncing from team to team. And he doesn't play that big most of the time.

I get trying to max out what's left in Ovechkin's career, but PLD hasn't really shown he's the guy for that. He's an under performing power forward type of player and not a distributor.

So who in your opinion, is the guy for that?

 

[Hockeyville USA]

I think we can all agree that the only thing really separating the Kings from the franchises mentioned is 2012-2014, right?

I'm not downplaying that, it's no small footnote, but outside of that good grief

I love your posts RJ, but you're overreacting a little. In recent memory, Ottawa, Buffalo, Arizona, and Columbus have been much more poorly run IMHO.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I love your posts RJ, but you're overreacting a little. In recent memory, Ottawa, Buffalo, Arizona, and Columbus have been much more poorly run IMHO.

Every one of those teams but Buffalo has more playoff wins and playoff round wins than the Kings since 2014.

It's not nearly as far off as you're making it sound AND the Kings started from the top and went down rather than the opposite.