At the end of the day, DL was fired due to 3 straight years with no playoff success. If the Kings made the playoffs all 3 years, or went on one deep run during that period, I think he would have kept his job longer. But I agree that what caused DL to make mistakes was not adjusting his roster construction philosophy enough to adapt to a changing style of game. So one way or another he was out the door.
I also think he lost a political battle with Luc in front of AEG. My guess is Beckerman decided to listen to the party telling him they could get back to contender status without significant change. Maybe Dan was fatigued from 3 straight years of not hitting his numbers with Uncle Phil, and he needed to make a change for the appearances of action. He probably was unprepared for making a sudden decision after the season, and hired the least risky option.
Every GM makes mistakes, but few win 2 cups in 3 years. As shown, that doesn’t make you untouchable. But to point at issues like bad contracts, trades, and player decisions is like pointing out venial sins for someone on the way to sainthood. In 100 years, no one is going to point out what a disaster the Lucic trade was, except maybe HF Boards.
Luc and Blake still have some road to run before we can write their history. The early chapters are inconsistent at best. Given their inexperience, that’s not unexpected. And the NHL is different nowadays. The league is getting younger and more competitive at the same time. It’s easier for kids to break in, but harder for them to stick because teams with an average age closer to 27 years old than 30 don’t mail in as many regular season shifts.
Maybe Blake being a young GM gives him fresh perspective on how to build a roster in today’s NHL. So far, all’s he’s done with the big club is take a lot of time making moves around the edges. He’s constructed a roster with a gaping hole in the middle of the age chart with respect to NHL quality players. And because he’s packed the roster with tweeners on one way deals he only has one or two spots available to fill with a quality acquisition. Maybe this is one cost of being patient and selecting high draft picks three years running.
He’s come out and said the Kings need to improve next year. And he outright agreed with Doughty carte blanche. So it’s fair to infer that Blake thinks he has two of the best players in the world who are being wasted by not being in the playoffs. I think we’ll be able to read more into his mindset based on his moves this summer. I think he’s smart enough to know that a swing for the fences move isn’t likely to work given the overall state of the roster. But I don’t think Luc is smart enough to figure out how to assuage AEG and sell them on a plan that covers missing the playoffs next year.