Who's our coach next season?

[Herby]

Now I think this is a valid point. After Dean saying the Kings and Kopitar weren't even in the same ballpark early on in the negotiation, Dean went silent. He stayed relatively silent on the subject until he caved into every on of Kopitar's demands.

I have often wondered if AEG management above Dean played a role in the Kopitar negotiation. I hope Dean does write a book some day. It would be very interesting reading for all of us.

Probably not enough demand for a book, but an hour long TV special about what went wrong would be interesting. As discussed, the Kings collapse is unprecedented in NHL history (1 playoff win in 3 seasons after cup win). Plus you factor in Voynov's domestic abuse, Stoll's cocaine bust, Richards career collapse and opioid bust at the border. There would certainly be a lot to discuss.

Luckily for Dean he manages in a market where it doesn't matter, I can't even remember the last time we got a quote. Could you imagine if this had all happened to Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver.

 

[King'sPawn]

Um yeah, I don't think you should take hyperbolic statements so literally.

Several people did say certain moves would be train wrecks, and they were proven correct.

Except Herby means it.

 

[Herby]

Except Herby means it.

So if we put you in charge of the Kings in June 2014 you think the franchise would be in worse shape than they are today?

I just don't believe that, there is only so much damage one person can do, and DL has basically maximized that damage.

Again, I am not talking about an entire tenure, I am not saying anyone here could have had his success from 2012-2014. But I don't think it's realistically possible for anyone to have done worse from 2014-2017.

 

[King'sPawn]

So if we put you in charge of the Kings in June 2014 you think the franchise would be in worse shape than they are today?

I just don't believe that, there is only so much damage one person can do, and DL has basically maximized that damage.

Again, I am not talking about an entire tenure, I am not saying anyone here could have had his success from 2012-2014. But I don't think it's realistically possible for anyone to have done worse from 2014-2017.

Yes. It would be worse.

- the end results of trades and signings are just the beginning. You would not only have to manage negotiations without alienating a player, but should you decide to trade players (particularly fan favorites), you'd have the fans and press chirping in your ear from one side, and your boss chirping in your other.

Don't forget should you try to trade these players, you have to negotiate with savvy GMs. You don't want to alienate or **** them off either.

- Then go ahead and tell us who you were clamoring for the Kings to draft from rounds 1-7.

- You also have to maintain assets to keep your AHL affiliate competitive and keep that a healthy developmental environment for your prospects.

- Sign free agents for the AHL and NHL team. Pretty large pool and you have to be sharp with them all.

- Sign RFAs and assume they'll trust you after lowballing a star player then trading him away when he doesn't meet your budget

- Keep the team competitive, unless you can charm billionaires that your recent cup winning team needs a rebuild

- Make sure the cap is managed by sending waiver exempt players down during the break to save cap space

- Call up the right personnel at the right time. Sign emergency replacements when there are injuries.

- Talk to someone who has worked for you for seven years about how your recently discovered news about him with drugs

- Manage two players who committed domestic abuse. Handle them, educate the team, and handle the media in a way that doesn't hurt the team

- Manage another player who has an oxy problem and fell off a cliff

- Handle all the other **** behind the scenes we don't even know about.

Yeah dude. You're a friggin prodigy for pointing out four bad moves you would not have done (Lucic, Sekera, Kopitar, not buying out Richards). Keep telling yourself you would know exactly what to do for all the other responsibilities you haven't even thought of. And keep telling yourself you wouldn't mishandle the simplest of tasks, and this team would be better off with you in charge after the 2014 cup.

GMing is pretty easy when you think the only thing you have to do is trade and sign players you don't have to interact with. That your moves operate in a vacuum and don't impact the team or your staff.

I would suck as a GM. So would everyone else here. Especially those who can't appreciate the complexities of being a functional GM, nevermind a good one.

 

[Herby]

Interesting rant. Is there any understanding of delegation. But here goes.

- the end results of trades and signings are just the beginning. You would not only have to manage negotiations without alienating a player, but should you decide to trade players (particularly fan favorites), you'd have the fans and press chirping in your ear from one side, and your boss chirping in your other.

As is true in my line of work, and many other lines of work. You have to negotiate with buyers/sellers, personnel etc. Sometimes people are terminated, sometimes good employees quit or threaten to quit over salary. As far as trading away popular players, no GM should be making decisions based on what fans think, and I still don't buy AEG is interfering behind the scenes.

- Then go ahead and tell us who you were clamoring for the Kings to draft from rounds 1-7.

Almost exclusively done from amateuer scouting, ultimately the GM has the final say but most GM's don't have the time during the season to actively scout a mid-round player.

- You also have to maintain assets to keep your AHL affiliate competitive and keep that a healthy developmental environment for your prospects.

This is not rocket science, your AHL team is mostly filled with your 20-25 year old prospects, with perhaps a younger European player mixed in and the rest is signing career minor league guys who many times shift from team to team. NHL teams also assign a member of management such as the Asst. GM to oversee the AHL team.

- Sign free agents for the AHL and NHL team. Pretty large pool and you have to be sharp with them all.

I have to be sharp with them ALL??

Isn't this a post defending Dean Lombardi?

Was he sharp with Purcell, Gilbert, Setoguchi, Latta and Trotman?

None of us would have to hit all of them, although I would be willing to bet none of us would have gone 0 for 5.

- Sign RFAs and assume they'll trust you after lowballing a star player then trading him away when he doesn't meet your budget/

RFA's have no leverage.

BTW, I never once said I would have traded Kopitar. I don't know why you keep hinting and implying that.

Keep the team competitive, unless you can charm billionaires that your recent cup winning team needs a rebuild

There wouldn't be a need for a rebuild. The way to maintain consistent success is to sign your star players and move on from your overpaid secondary players and replace them with young talent on ELC's. The best way to add young players with talent is through the draft, and the best way to do that is hitting on your 1st round picks, which you can't do when you are trading your 1st round picks for rentals.

Make sure the cap is managed by sending waiver exempt players down during the break to save cap space

And no one here would do that??!!

Every team in the league does that.

- Call up the right personnel at the right time. Sign emergency replacements when there are injuries.

Or wait to long to call people up and have Purcell and Setoguchi on the roster.

- Talk to someone who has worked for you for seven years about how your recently discovered news about him with drugs

Most GM's don't have to deal with that. And if this is in reference to Richards, well that problem along with other problems had been rumored long before he came to LA. In no way blaming Lombardi for that, but there was certainly some risk involved in bringing him here.

Manage two players who committed domestic abuse. Handle them, educate the team, and handle the media in a way that doesn't hurt the team

Well, my rule would be simple, it's the same one Jim Harbaugh has. You hit a women, you're done. I don't care if you're Drew Doughty or Andy Andreoff. Now I know there is a lot more involved with the PA and what not but there is no "teaching and educating" domestic abusers.

 

[The Tikkanen]

Imagine if Lombardi had signed Kovalchuk a few summers ago.

 

[Herby]

Imagine if Lombardi had signed Kovalchuk a few summers ago.

Or Brad Richards in 2011.

Remember the Kings were supposedly the most aggressive team by far.

 

[KINGS17]

When you look back on it the only big name UFAs the Kings pursued that would have worked out is Marian Hossa and Zdeno Chara.

Drury, Brad Richards, and Kovalchuk all would have been disasters.

Big name UFA signings are miss as much as they are hit. Dean did much better with his best reclamation project Willie Mitchell, and by going after a middle of the road UFA in Scuderi.

 

[damacles1156]

Yes. I could have done a better job the last three seasons, I truly believe that. But again, the bar has been set extremely low.

I was not talking about an entire tenure, I was talking about the last three seasons where every significant move he has made has blown up in his face.

I am pretty critical of Lombardi, hell I wanted him fired in 2011-12.

But Even I know I could not do better than him in a GM Role.

These guys are GM's making millions of dollars for a reason, they are chosen for a reason.

Being stupid, and not knowing how to do your job, is not one of the criteria.

Lombardi has Two Cups in 11 years at the helm ? Some GM's get none.

 

[King'sPawn]

As is true in my line of work, and many other lines of work. You have to negotiate with buyers/sellers, personnel etc. Sometimes people are terminated, sometimes good employees quit or threaten to quit over salary. As far as trading away popular players, no GM should be making decisions based on what fans think, and I still don't buy AEG is interfering behind the scenes.

Even if you don't think AEG has any hand in what Lombardi does (I can't agree with that at all, but okay), what would have been your thresholds then for, say, Kopitar and Gaborik, the two major signings he's made since 2014?

Almost exclusively done from amateuer scouting, ultimately the GM has the final say but most GM's don't have the time during the season to actively scout a mid-round player.

So you think a GM leaves the future of an organization completely in the hands of amateur scouting and doesn't look at players himself? YOU would not scout as well?

This is not rocket science, your AHL team is mostly filled with your 20-25 year old prospects, with perhaps a younger European player mixed in and the rest is signing career minor league guys who many times shift from team to team. NHL teams also assign a member of management such as the Asst. GM to oversee the AHL team.

You mean guys like Trotman, Latta, who you criticize below? And those 20-25 year-old prospects are prospects you drafted. You know, the obligation you are reportedly shirking above.

But I'm glad to know it's also easy to manage an AHL team. Why aren't you doing it?

I have to be sharp with them ALL??

Isn't this a post defending Dean Lombardi?

Was he sharp with Purcell, Gilbert, Setoguchi, Latta and Trotman?

None of us would have to hit all of them, although I would be willing to bet none of us would have gone 0 for 5.

By being sharp, you have to know who they all are and what they do. You don't have to go 5 for 5. But I'm not quite sure he went 0-for-5. You do realize not every one was intended to make the roster... right?

I mean, this is one of the easy parts of the job to run an AHL team. Again, you'd just leave this up to the Assistant GM apparently.

RFA's have no leverage.

You still have to sign RFAs. What would you have offered Toffoli? What are you going to offer Pearson? What about when there was a dispute with Doughty years ago? Just because you still own their rights doesn't mean it can't be acrimonious.

There wouldn't be a need for a rebuild. The way to maintain consistent success is to sign your star players and move on from your overpaid secondary players and replace them with young talent on ELC's. The best way to add young players with talent is through the draft, and the best way to do that is hitting on your 1st round picks, which you can't do when you are trading your 1st round picks for rentals.

So assuming you took over after the cup run in 2014, your team is on the outside looking in going to the Playoffs. So far, we've established you won't scout players, you won't manage the AHL team at all, you would have bought out Richards. We don't know what you would have done with Kopitar and Gaborik, but let's say you re-signed them.

What would you have done? You would have just accepted missing the playoffs? You'd say to AEG "You know... **** happens. I got a first round pick though and I'm going to make a pick for the future." You still don't think AEG would have, you know, EXPECTED a cup winning team to make the playoffs?

You're doing great in expecting the amateur scouts to do all the scouting for those draft picks you're saving up for, not signing any players and blaming Rob Blake for however the AHL team turns out, and expecting AEG to accept missing the playoffs while not rebuilding or retooling.

And no one here would do that??!!

Every team in the league does that.

So you would do just as well at this as every team in the league? I'm not saying what Lombardi does better. I'm just making sure you're paying attention to your responsibilities. After all, this is easy... right?

Or wait to long to call people up and have Purcell and Setoguchi on the roster.

Right, because you'd call them up immediately and blame Rob Blake for the inept team in the AHL.

Most GM's don't have to deal with that. And if this is in reference to Richards, well that problem along with other problems had been rumored long before he came to LA. In no way blaming Lombardi for that, but there was certainly some risk involved in bringing him here.

It was regarding Stoll, actually. And you're right, most GMs don't have to deal with that. But if you claim you can do a better job than Lombardi, then you would have to deal with it.

Well, my rule would be simple, it's the same one Jim Harbaugh has. You hit a women, you're done. I don't care if you're Drew Doughty or Andy Andreoff. Now I know there is a lot more involved with the PA and what not but there is no "teaching and educating" domestic abusers.

So you wouldn't do anything to help manage the PR nightmare. You'd just say, "He's gone." You wouldn't go through the educational classes Lombardi made the team go through? You wouldn't try to get help for your players and just expect them to deal with it on their own?

Interesting. I'm sure all the players and staff members will feel overwhelming support and confidence towards you.

 

[robitaillefan]

John stevens....no doubt in my mind

 

[damacles1156]

Even if you don't think AEG has any hand in what Lombardi does (I can't agree with that at all, but okay), what would have been your thresholds then for, say, Kopitar and Gaborik, the two major signings he's made since 2014?




So you think a GM leaves the future of an organization completely in the hands of amateur scouting and doesn't look at players himself? YOU would not scout as well?




You mean guys like Trotman, Latta, who you criticize below? And those 20-25 year-old prospects are prospects you drafted. You know, the obligation you are reportedly shirking above.

But I'm glad to know it's also easy to manage an AHL team. Why aren't you doing it?




By being sharp, you have to know who they all are and what they do. You don't have to go 5 for 5. But I'm not quite sure he went 0-for-5. You do realize not every one was intended to make the roster... right?

I mean, this is one of the easy parts of the job to run an AHL team. Again, you'd just leave this up to the Assistant GM apparently.




You still have to sign RFAs. What would you have offered Toffoli? What are you going to offer Pearson? What about when there was a dispute with Doughty years ago? Just because you still own their rights doesn't mean it can't be acrimonious.




So assuming you took over after the cup run in 2014, your team is on the outside looking in going to the Playoffs. So far, we've established you won't scout players, you won't manage the AHL team at all, you would have bought out Richards. We don't know what you would have done with Kopitar and Gaborik, but let's say you re-signed them.

What would you have done? You would have just accepted missing the playoffs? You'd say to AEG "You know... **** happens. I got a first round pick though and I'm going to make a pick for the future." You still don't think AEG would have, you know, EXPECTED a cup winning team to make the playoffs?

You're doing great in expecting the amateur scouts to do all the scouting for those draft picks you're saving up for, not signing any players and blaming Rob Blake for however the AHL team turns out, and expecting AEG to accept missing the playoffs while not rebuilding or retooling.



So you would do just as well at this as every team in the league? I'm not saying what Lombardi does better. I'm just making sure you're paying attention to your responsibilities. After all, this is easy... right?



Right, because you'd call them up immediately and blame Rob Blake for the inept team in the AHL.



It was regarding Stoll, actually. And you're right, most GMs don't have to deal with that. But if you claim you can do a better job than Lombardi, then you would have to deal with it.



So you wouldn't do anything to help manage the PR nightmare. You'd just say, "He's gone." You wouldn't go through the educational classes Lombardi made the team go through? You wouldn't try to get help for your players and just expect them to deal with it on their own?

Interesting. I'm sure all the players and staff members will feel overwhelming support and confidence towards you.

The last one:

Owner comes to you and says "Drew Doughty will go through classes, and get right, we will manage the PR nightmare"

Herby " Nah Drew is done"

Owner "You're Fired".


It's easy to sit in your desk chair and peddle "I could do better".

But come on.

 

[damacles1156]

Herby, there is nothing wrong with basing Lombardi for making mistakes.

But you never once throw out the hyperbole of "Anyone can do his job better"- back in the day when you hated every move the guy made.

Heck prior to 2012, I thought Lombardi was doing much worse then he is now.

 

[damacles1156]

Just like my beef with the contracts.

Gabo/Kopitar.

Both of those contracts I hate, and would have not offered them. But, I also don't have all the facts.

For all we know, AEG said "If you don't sign Gabo (after 2014, cup) you're fired".

It's not likely that happened, but we also don't know. Ditto for Kopitar.

Lombardi has made mistakes, numerous ones. Nothing wrong with calling those out.

But people saying they can do his job better than he can ? I don't think so.

If you could, you would be in the NHL right now, making millions of dollars a year.

 

[damacles1156]

Also Lomabardi did what people asked him to do prior to the season starting.

He didn't add salary in bad contracts

He brought up some youth (that caused some losses) but growing pains

He kept his draft picks, and added some.

Let a Veteran go in Dwight King.

 

[King'sPawn]

Herby, there is nothing wrong with basing Lombardi for making mistakes.

But you never once throw out the hyperbole of "I can do his job better"- back in the day when you hated every move the guy made.

Heck prior to 2012, I thought Lombardi was doing much worse then he is now.

I agree for the most part. I have no problem with complaints about Lombardi. In fact, for all I'm "defending" him, I also teeter back and forth between whether or not he should stay. I feel he has made some significantly bad moves. But focusing on just the bad moves and pretending that "not doing them" suddenly makes you a better GM is silly.

Myself, I would not have done the Lucic deal. If I traded for Sekera (who I consider an upgrade over Martinez), I would have had a plan in place to trade Martinez to make sure I could retain the upgrade. If not, I wouldn't have traded for him.

Also Lomabardi did what people asked him to do prior to the season starting.

He didn't add salary in bad contracts

He brought up some youth (that caused some losses) but growing pains

He kept his draft picks, and added some.

Let a Veteran go in Dwight King.

He hedged this season, and the results show. If he was determined to make the playoffs, why not trade for Bishop earlier and not hang your season on Budaj? If he wanted to go through growing pains, why trade for Bishop only after Quick comes back?

Furthermore, why not trade Muzzin or Martinez to a team trying to make the playoffs and bring in a cost-controlled, expansion exempt player?

 

[damacles1156]

I agree for the most part. I have no problem with complaints about Lombardi. In fact, for all I'm "defending" him, I also teeter back and forth between whether or not he should stay. I feel he has made some significantly bad moves. But focusing on just the bad moves and pretending that "not doing them" suddenly makes you a better GM is silly.

Myself, I would not have done the Lucic deal. If I traded for Sekera (who I consider an upgrade over Martinez), I would have had a plan in place to trade Martinez to make sure I could retain the upgrade. If not, I wouldn't have traded for him.



He hedged this season, and the results show. If he was determined to make the playoffs, why not trade for Bishop earlier and not hang your season on Budaj? If he wanted to go through growing pains, why trade for Bishop only after Quick comes back?

Furthermore, why not trade Muzzin or Martinez to a team trying to make the playoffs and bring in a cost-controlled, expansion exempt player?

Bishop basically costed nothing( but it took till the dead-line probably to get that price), Also you would be selling Muzzin/A-Mart at their low point.

Muzzin/A-Mart have both had awful seasons defensively.

If the return was not great, people would have blown this board up.

Don't off-load an asset like Muzzin, during his worst season ever.

The time to trade A-Mart was last off-season, coming off a strong season.

Now you have to wait, till both of them have strong seasons again.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I just think people saying moves made in 2015 and going into 2016 were no-brainers aren't considering context. Like, at all. 2015 was a nightmare season and you had a team coming off TWO cup wins and a WCF with a chance to do something special. God damn right you have to take a swing there. Going into 2016 it's more arguably, but when you need scoring help and you have a goaltender RFA holding your feet to the fire with an RFA offer sheet, you do something. I think it's ok to say it would have been handled differently in one's hands--I think it's dishonest and insulting to call DL dumb, suggest one could have done much better, while ignoring context. No GM in their right mind starts tanking in 2015, nor 2016.

 

[Omni Owl]

My only gripe about the offseason was not bringing Versteeg back and signing Purcell/Setoguchi instead. Glad DL inked Lewis though, he's an important player for our botton 6. I will always hate the ****ing Lucic trade.

 

[damacles1156]

I just think people saying moves made in 2015 and going into 2016 were no-brainers aren't considering context. Like, at all. 2015 was a nightmare season and you had a team coming off TWO cup wins and a WCF with a chance to do something special. God damn right you have to take a swing there. Going into 2016 it's more arguably, but when you need scoring help and you have a goaltender RFA holding your feet to the fire with an RFA offer sheet, you do something. I think it's ok to say it would have been handled differently in one's hands--I think it's dishonest and insulting to call DL dumb, suggest one could have done much better, while ignoring context. No GM in their right mind starts tanking in 2015, nor 2016.

I agree.

Even though I hate Kopitar/Gabo's contracts.

I can admit that ANY GM is going to rather get fired, going after Cups, with Kopitar/Quick/Doughty playing at relative high levels.

Then try and rebuild in 2015/2016 with the Kings.

I can even admit that.

Lombardi may get fired for just that (going for it, and it not working out). It is, what it is.

 

[KINGS17]

I was fine with the Sekera trade. Dean took one more shot and missed. Nothing wrong with that deal.

After that it was time to hold the reins a little tighter.

 

[Herby]

DMac,

I never once said I could be a successful NHL GM. And I have no idea how you could argue the 3 years leading up to 2012 were worse than these past 3 years, would truly love to hear the reasoning, I just have no idea.

You're hypothetical of the owner forcing me to sign Gaborik to a 7 year deal is a bit out there. As I have said numerous times, I was not against signing Gaborik and thought he needed to be signed, my issue at the time was the length, which turned out to doom the Kings. Now could Anschutz have said you have to sign him to a 7 year deal or else? Well I guess, but the more likely answer is DL was looking to save cap space by adding years, a mistake he has made numerous times before, and you say he learned from it, then explain the 7 year offer to Lucic last summer.

KP. Never said GM's don't do scouting, was replying to your comments about making all seven picks in the draft. Obviously the GM's usually attend the WJC's right after Christmas and the U-18's before the draft but they are not on the road in places like Green Bay and the Soo regularly scouting 17 year olds, just aint happen. Almost everytime we had a request from anyone higher than an amateur scout for a credential they were there to watch one of their own drafted guys,

I think our disagreement has gone beyond DL, we just simply disagree about the degree of difficulty of this job, and probably also how much of a factor good and bad luck plays on a team's overall success, and no matter what we type we will probably never change each other's minds.

 

[KingsFan7824]

He hedged this season, and the results show. If he was determined to make the playoffs, why not trade for Bishop earlier and not hang your season on Budaj? If he wanted to go through growing pains, why trade for Bishop only after Quick comes back?

I would say Lombardi was not determined to make the playoffs this year. They managed to have a chance to do so at the deadline, and maybe the cap prevented him from getting Bishop earlier. If the Kings then make the playoffs, they then have two guys that can do the job, in case Quick wasn't fully ready.

Furthermore, why not trade Muzzin or Martinez to a team trying to make the playoffs and bring in a cost-controlled, expansion exempt player?

Maybe GM's weren't looking to trade a cost controlled, expansion exempt player? Did a lot of those kind of players get traded this year?

I was fine with the Sekera trade. Dean took one more shot and missed. Nothing wrong with that deal.

After that it was time to hold the reins a little tighter.

The issue was that because they missed the playoffs in 2015, it was the 2016 pick that went to Carolina. The Kings should've pulled the reins in after missing the playoffs because they sucked at 4v4 OT, in a year where they didn't have their own 1st round pick? That's why I think he did the Lucic deal. To at least make the playoffs in 2016. Had the Kings made it in 2015, and gone out in 5 games, I don't think the Lucic deal happens. Look what has happened since the playoffs last year. That deal did happen though, because the Sekera deal didn't work, but Sekera isn't a King if Voynov doesn't get suspended. We can talk about Richards/Gaborik/Greene all day long, but Voynov is the key guy. That's when the Kings got desperate.

 

[KINGS17]

The issue was that because they missed the playoffs in 2015, it was the 2016 pick that went to Carolina. The Kings should've pulled the reins in after missing the playoffs because they sucked at 4v4 OT, in a year where they didn't have their own 1st round pick? That's why I think he did the Lucic deal. To at least make the playoffs in 2016. Had the Kings made it in 2015, and gone out in 5 games, I don't think the Lucic deal happens. Look what has happened since the playoffs last year. That deal did happen though, because the Sekera deal didn't work, but Sekera isn't a King if Voynov doesn't get suspended. We can talk about Richards/Gaborik/Greene all day long, but Voynov is the key guy. That's when the Kings got desperate.

Yes, but the Sekera trade was already spilled milk. I agree with KP. When the Sekera deal was made there should have been a plan in place to keep him. At the time, and I still do now, advocate moving Martinez for a cost-controlled, young forward.

The Lucic deal was a big mistake.

 

[Fishhead]

Yes, but the Sekera trade was already spilled milk. I agree with KP. When the Sekera deal was made there should have been a plan in place to keep him. At the time, and I still do now, advocate moving Martinez for a cost-controlled, young forward.

The Lucic deal was a big mistake.

I dunno, Lucic was a big reason this team even made the playoffs last year. They got pummeled by the team they embarrassed the year before who went to the finals. A different matchup and things could have turned out very differently. The price was steep though, I'm kind of on the fence about that trade.

Sekera was a no brainer at the time.

The only recent trade I absolutely wouldn't have done was Versteeg. I never, never will understand that one. Even if the team soured on Zykov, he was worth a hell of a lot more than Versteeg. Terrible, terrible move. I could at least see the rationale behind Lucic.

Lambasting DL for this year's FA signings is silly, he's done the same thing before with guys to use them as fillers until they see how the guys in the minors perform. He did it with Hunter and Moreau while waiting to see who stepped up in the minors. He did the same thing with Purcell, Seto, and Gilbert this year. Latta and Trotman were AHL signings, nothing more. All GM's do these types of moves. Spending a bunch of money on a bigger name would have been the stupid move, not signing plugs that the team new they could always release. None of this years moves have ramifications going forward.