Toggle sidebar

Toffoli, Pearson and why DL felt they needed another AHL test last season

  • Xenforo Cloud will be upgrading us to version 2.3.5 on March 3rd at 12 AM GMT. This version has increased stability and fixes several bugs. We expect downtime for the duration of the update. The admin team will continue to work on existing issues, templates and upgrade all necessary available addons to minimize impact of this new version. Click Here for Updates
TonySCV

TonySCV

Golden
Mar 2, 2004
14,425
20
Los Angeles, CA
http://espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/201...nner-pearson-rise-los-angeles-kings-challenge

Great stuff from LeBrun.

""I think there's a difference between making a team and being ready," Kings GM Dean Lombardi said as he sat back in his office chair Wednesday. "It's analogous at times to how you see these quarterbacks in football, 'OK, he makes the team, but is he ready?' You see a young QB make a bad team in the NFL. 'OK, he's made the team, but is he really ready?' There's a difference. Given that the role both these kids will one day play for us, higher up in our lineup, it requires more training. It's a more difficult job description. I think we felt, the old adage, nobody ever failed from being over-prepared.""

Lombardi's eyes widen as he talks about going to see Pearson play an AHL game one night earlier this season.

"It was a game in Providence and I had told him I would be there in the building," the Mad Professor said. "He had two goals and an assist, and was the game's first star. I remember thinking, 'That's how do you do it. Stick it right up my ass.' He was awesome."
Click to read more...
 
Last edited:
TonySCV said:
"It was a game in Providence and I had told him I would be there in the building," the Mad Professor said. "He had two goals and an assist, and was the game's first star. I remember thinking, 'That's how do you do it. Stick it right up my a--.' He was awesome."
Click to expand...

:facepalm:

Still, great to see his development carry on. Our drafting and development system is definitely the true backbone of the organization. I can't wait to see Tanner continue on that path and hopefully he remains in the top 6.

On another note, both Pearson and Toffoli were snatched by Futa. It is going to be quite painful when he finally leaves us.
 
Telos said:
:facepalm:

Still, great to see his development carry on. Our drafting and development system is definitely the true backbone of the organization. I can't wait to see Tanner continue on that path and hopefully he remains in the top 6.

On another note, both Pearson and Toffoli were snatched by Futa. It is going to be quite painful when he finally leaves us.
Click to expand...

Why :facepalm:? That's a great ****ing quote! :laugh:
 
Ron said:
Why :facepalm:? That's a great ****ing quote! :laugh:
Click to expand...

I agree. That is absolutely tremendous. Remember the old saying Dean used, "make us (coaches and management) have to make a difficult decision."

This falls directly inline with that comment from a few years ago. That is what Dean is looking for from any of the guys.
 
Telos said:
On another note, both Pearson and Toffoli were snatched by Futa. It is going to be quite painful when he finally leaves us.
Click to expand...

I'm sure Futa is compensated quite well for the work he does, but the Kings need to do whatever it takes to keep him in the organization. Give him co-GM title and pay him GM money. Talent evaluators with his pedigree are invaluable to an organization and he needs to be the heir of LA's GM throne.
 
With Michael Futa doing so well with finding OHL players as the former GM of the Owen Sound Attack the Kings should just start grabbing an executive from each CHL league so they get their scouting covered all across the board. :nod:
 
Ron said:
Why :facepalm:? That's a great ****ing quote! :laugh:
Click to expand...

100% agree. I almost bolded it myself in the OP. I thought wow, that's pretty insightful stuff and dead on accurate from what DL has always said he looked for in players. Prove that you belong here. Prove I was right for taking a chance on you.
 
That's a terrible ****ing quote. If I tried that, HR would be sending me to sensitivity training.

But I like the sentiment.

What is Futa's record vs other Scouting Directors? I would be surprised if it was significantly better than others around. I would be sad to see him go, but I wouldn't be devastated.
 
ukyo said:
That's a terrible ****ing quote. If I tried that, HR would be sending me to sensitivity training.
Click to expand...

:laugh:

I get your point in the real world. But I don't think there is a whole lot of sensitivity training in the National Hockey League.
 
ukyo said:
That's a terrible ****ing quote. If I tried that, HR would be sending me to sensitivity training.

But I like the sentiment.

What is Futa's record vs other Scouting Directors? I would be surprised if it was significantly better than others around. I would be sad to see him go, but I wouldn't be devastated.
Click to expand...

I thought I saw a post where someone mentioned it was around 38% but they didn't really provide numbers so I can't say for certain if it's accurate.

The league average tends to hover around 21% or so, which in terms of numbers matches with what Lombardi said in the past where if you can get around 2 prospects per draft you're doing something right.
 
Ron said:
Why :facepalm:? That's a great ****ing quote! :laugh:
Click to expand...

Probably because the best quote of the entire article has a typo. Should say -

"He had two goals and an assist, and was the game's first star. I remember thinking, 'That's how you do it. Stick it right up my ass.' He was awesome.
 
Since 2006 only Five teams have sent two (the idea of of the draft) roster players per draft to the NHL roster.

I believe Boston/Chicago/LA/Minny/Pitt are those teams.

I'll double check that, But Boston and LA are tremendous with Draft picks since 2006 playing NHL games.

Peter Chiarelli is a damn good drafting GM.
 
That was a really great article. I had to laugh at this Lombardi quote, "That's how do you do it. Stick it right up my ass." :laugh:
 
I wonder if Lumbus has any regrets not taking the 2012 pick we traded for Jeff Carter? We used the pick to draft Pearson when they optioned for the 1st pick in 2013 instead. They drafted Marko Daňo the following draft.

Looking at that 2012 draft, it looks like more than half are already playing in the NHL.
 
I know I overhype Futa all too often but I can say this will honesty, he is the single best at what he does that I have come across in 30 years of working at one job or another in hockey. There have been some very good ones along the way and there are still some great ones that nobody would know if I hyped them all day long too but the thing with Futa is that he is just so methodical and so damned prepared to evaluate every aspect of a prospects game that he is almost machine like.

Then on top of it all he has this innate ability to see that one extra detail that everyone else has missed. There are people who are good at their jobs and there are people who are great at them, and then there are those who have talent.

Futa is not only great at his job but he is scary talented at it.

Table scraps are just fine when your sitting under the Kings table.
 
Tonellisghost said:
I know I overhype Futa all too often but I can say this will honesty, he is the single best at what he does that I have come across in 30 years of working at one job or another in hockey. There have been some very good ones along the way and there are still some great ones that nobody would know if I hyped them all day long too but the thing with Futa is that he is just so methodical and so damned prepared to evaluate every aspect of a prospects game that he is almost machine like.

Then on top of it all he has this innate ability to see that one extra detail that everyone else has missed. There are people who are good at their jobs and there are people who are great at them, and then there are those who have talent.

Futa is not only great at his job but he is scary talented at it.

Table scraps are just fine when your sitting under the Kings table.
Click to expand...

TG, I know there is an art to every job, and that everyone has their own personal style, but do you think that Futa's approach to his job is something that is beign "taught" or passed on to others in the organization in some way?

Before Dean coming here I was just a fan that looked at the product on the NHL ice. After having a conversation with him shortly after he arrived, and man can the guy talk, he explained the importance to him of depth not only in player personnel, but in his staff. I definitely came away from that conversation knowing that Dean's staff would produce because he would insist on it.

We haven't been disappointed. I firmly believe that Dave Taylor drafted some good hockey players. His staff just didn't have the patience or resources to develop some of those guys properly.
 
Tonellisghost said:
I know I overhype Futa all too often but I can say this will honesty, he is the single best at what he does that I have come across in 30 years of working at one job or another in hockey. There have been some very good ones along the way and there are still some great ones that nobody would know if I hyped them all day long too but the thing with Futa is that he is just so methodical and so damned prepared to evaluate every aspect of a prospects game that he is almost machine like.

Then on top of it all he has this innate ability to see that one extra detail that everyone else has missed. There are people who are good at their jobs and there are people who are great at them, and then there are those who have talent.

Futa is not only great at his job but he is scary talented at it.

Table scraps are just fine when your sitting under the Kings table.
Click to expand...

I know I'm being selfish, but I hope other teams in the NHL stay the hell away from Futa.
 
I hope so too. He is just that damned good.

As for him teaching his staff I can only say that it is something that seems to be one of his greatest passions regarding his work. He is a fountainhead of information and will spend hours with you to make certain you understand what HE is looking at in a player and then spend another hour discussing what YOU see/saw in them.

Afterwards he will always leave you with instruction(s) on how he sees your specific work. I know that sounds like a problem and could be in other situations but with MF you just shut up and listen. If DL is a master at running an org (which I believe he is among the very best of his generation) Futa is that good at player development.

I also think that Davie did a great job as GM and given time would have proven himself to have been one of the best we have had but he was given such a short amount of time to try and produce and absolutely had no infrastructure to support his players that he was almost destined to fail.

Still where DT was very good and could have become much better DL came in and hit the ground running and insisted on things being a certain way. He wouldn't have taken the job if he wasn't given complete authority in building the team/system the way he did.

We are so lucky that we finally had an owner who was ready and willing to put his money where his mouth was at the same time that a guy like Lombardi was available.

Kismet.
 
Primakov! said:
I thought I saw a post where someone mentioned it was around 38% but they didn't really provide numbers so I can't say for certain if it's accurate.

The league average tends to hover around 21% or so, which in terms of numbers matches with what Lombardi said in the past where if you can get around 2 prospects per draft you're doing something right.
Click to expand...

38% of what? 21% of what? Just reaching the NHL? Being a regular in the NHL? If so, what's a regular by definition?

kingsfan28 said:
I wonder if Lumbus has any regrets not taking the 2012 pick we traded for Jeff Carter? We used the pick to draft Pearson when they optioned for the 1st pick in 2013 instead. They drafted Marko Daňo the following draft.

Looking at that 2012 draft, it looks like more than half are already playing in the NHL.
Click to expand...

I think they'd only have regrets if the players they would have picked at 30th was someone they wish they had now. Odds are Pearson wasn't the guy that was the highest ranked on their draft list of what was available at that point (could have been but odds are they had someone else since draft lists tend to widely differ at that point). Odds are they just would have picked Oscar Dansk there since they owned the very next pick and used it to grab Dansk. And that so far looks like a very smart pick.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Top Bottom