Speculation: Fire Rob Blake Blow it Up Offseason Thread (update: Robitaille and Blake stay)

[johnjm22]

The two worst contract issues in the last ten years, Kovalchuk and Dubois, were due to that menage a trois, and their failed Pacioretty heist nearly scuppered the rebuild.

Here are the losses

Kovalchuk signing
Stevens hire
WD hiring
Fiala trade
PLD trade
Turcotte override
Koala hire
Quick fiasco
Kaliyev fiasco

 

[SettlementRichie10]

The reality is that the team WILL be worse next year. Their cap situation doesn’t allow them to significantly improve, and they still have aging players at key positions. It doesn’t matter how many Turcottes or Thomases get their little 8 minutes a game.

There’s a strong chance they straight up miss the playoffs next year as they currently stand. If that happens, heads will roll. No goaltender is coming to the rescue here. The team is fundamentally misconstructed, and weak at all its load bearing pillars.

 

[AbsentMojo]

That mug has this jingle run through my head every time w revised lyrics: if you want to see some soft goals go see Cal.. etc

 

[AbsentMojo]

The reality is that the team WILL be worse next year. Their cap situation doesn’t allow them to significantly improve, and they still have aging players at key positions. It doesn’t matter how many Turcottes or Thomases get their little 8 minutes a game.

There’s a strong chance they straight up miss the playoffs next year as they currently stand. If that happens, heads will roll. No goaltender is coming to the rescue here. The team is fundamentally misconstructed, and weak at all its load bearing pillars.

Agreed... and this team sucked with hardly any games lost to injury and fully healthy in the playoffs. The flaws are myriad: roster composition, player development, drafting, cap management, system/structure, leadership/fragile mindset, in game adjustments, in series adjustments. Did I miss anything?

 

[The Butcher]

 

[johnjm22]

It's not a guarantee they'll be worse next year.

It's the NHL. There's a lot of variance in the league year to year.

 

[Choralone]

First, Luc should be fired for working for Brisson. What he did came at direct expense of the company that pays him. He can go work for Brisson's agency if that's what he wants to do for his next gig.

Second, I don't know how many of Blakes mistakes were from following orders, or from his own decisions, but mistakes were made. (Blake has at least been ruthless about cutting bait when he's been wrong. so If he doesn't want to ditch PLD at this point, he's not calling the shots.)

I've supported Blake over the seasons and given him the benefit of the doubt, but I wrote at the start of the season that three years losing in the first round (let alone to the same team) meant he would be done. So here we are, and there it is.

If there was a critical mass of talent waiting in the wings to make the lineup, I'd be more positive. If there was more cap space to bring in young talent that developed elsewhere, I'd be more positive. Neither case is true. The cupboards are dry and the cap is near-maxed.

Yes, many teams are competing for the cup, and all but one will fail. It's incredibly difficult and there's no manual for it. But if, after sober analysis, a competing teams is not on an ultimately competitive trajectory, then they need to recognize it and address it - even if it means starting over. Again, beware the sunk-cost fallacy. The Kings are OK, often fun to watch, but it is now apparent they are not on a trajectory to ever challenge for the Stanley Cup as constructed or projected without major changes.

Reset.

 

[AbsentMojo]

I think there's a common understanding that Blake overruled Yanetti on the Turcotte pick. After having learned about Luc's influence on the Dubois deal... maybe the same was true of Turcotte - another of the many Brisson clients.

 

[kilowatt]

Before we go full tinfoil-hat on the Brisson thing, he's got five contracts with the Kings: Kopitar, Dubois, Turcotte, Portillo, and Krygier. He also represents MacKinnon, Tavares, Crosby, the Hughes brothers, and many other superstars.

NHL Contracts by Agent Pat Brisson | Puckpedia

puckpedia.com

He's got 7 contracts with the Ducks and 5 contracts with the Knights. Hell, there are only three teams in the league who don't have players he represents: Calgary, Utah, and Washington.

Just for some counter-perspective here.

 

[Herby]

I think there's a common understanding that Blake overruled Yanetti on the Turcotte pick. After having learned about Luc's influence on the Dubois deal... maybe the same was true of Turcotte - another of the many Brisson clients.

Zegras (the player the scouts wanted) is also a Brisson client.

This was probably as Rosen alluded was Blake being influenced by Granato to take his Badger player. To bad they didn't just take Caufield, he also checked both the BLuc boxes of a Granato player represented by Brisson.

 

[kingsfan28]

Also jives with the other big post-Cup DL rumor that he brought in Bishop as a long term Quick replacement.

Everything about that trade sucks, the good ole boys mentality crush a great prospect which turned into the solid dman we needed then and even more now. Bishop had no chance at staying with our cap issues. Just like the Lucic deal.

 

[AbsentMojo]

Zegras (the player the scouts wanted) is also a Brisson client.

This was probably as Rosen alluded was Blake being influenced by Granato to take his Badger player. To bad they didn't just take Caufield, he also checked both the BLuc boxes of a Granato player represented by Brisson.

OK thanks for that didnt know that re Zegras and Brisson

Before we go full tinfoil-hat on the Brisson thing, he's got five contracts with the Kings: Kopitar, Dubois, Turcotte, Portillo, and Krygier. He also represents MacKinnon, Tavares, Crosby, the Hughes brothers, and many other superstars.

NHL Contracts by Agent Pat Brisson | Puckpedia

puckpedia.com

He's got 7 contracts with the Ducks and 5 contracts with the Knights. Hell, there are only three teams in the league who don't have players he represents: Calgary, Utah, and Washington.

Just for some counter-perspective here.

Have you seen this one from today? It influenced my thinking.. Herby pointed out Zegras also Brisson

https://twitter.com/jonnyrosen/status/1786522263443099763?s=46&t=S6ustQRn5i6ofRBv9ttb0g

 

[kingsfan28]

Zegras (the player the scouts wanted) is also a Brisson client.

This was probably as Rosen alluded was Blake being influenced by Granato to take his Badger player. To bad they didn't just take Caufield, he also checked both the BLuc boxes of a Granato player represented by Brisson.

They had a camera on them during the pick, it seemed Byram was their top choice, after the Avs took him, then they went to Turcotte. Even Yanetti wanted to make sure:

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Everything about that trade sucks, the good ole boys mentality crush a great prospect which turned into the solid dman we needed then and even more now. Bishop had no chance at staying with our cap issues. Just like the Lucic deal.

I can think of a worse trade.

 

[kingsfan28]

I can think of a worse trade.

Cloutier?

 

[bland]

Before we go full tinfoil-hat on the Brisson thing, he's got five contracts with the Kings: Kopitar, Dubois, Turcotte, Portillo, and Krygier. He also represents MacKinnon, Tavares, Crosby, the Hughes brothers, and many other superstars.

NHL Contracts by Agent Pat Brisson | Puckpedia

puckpedia.com

He's got 7 contracts with the Ducks and 5 contracts with the Knights. Hell, there are only three teams in the league who don't have players he represents: Calgary, Utah, and Washington.

Just for some counter-perspective here.

What perspective?

Do you think we are suggesting that he is Snidley Whiplash? Like he is some heel that is always scheming?

I am saying that he has SEVERAL shady dealings with Robitaille that have only favored his clients at the expense of a healthy organization. Not just bad hockey decisions like Petersen, but overly long and excessively high salaries that have offered the team next to nothing while the agent profits and sets new standards for salaries across the league. It's called collusion.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Cloutier?

Imagine going out of your way to denigrate the only executive to win anything for this pathetic franchise while simultaneously simping for the eternally winless Blake regime. You absolute cuck.

 

[Herby]

They had a camera on them during the pick, it seemed Byram was their top choice, after the Avs took him, then they went to Turcotte. Even Yanetti wanted to make sure:

View attachment 864505

So that was Yannetti talking to Blake?

Tough to read into one line, but this does seem to validate what Rosen said, that it was Blake's decision and maybe not what the scouts wanted. If it were their call you would think the GM would be asking that question to the head scout.

And just to defend Blake (just this one time), I think many teams do have it where the 1st round pick is the GM's call and everything else he defers to the scouts, especially with a pick as high as this was. When you are picking Top 5 you are taking a player that the expectations should be they are contributing to your NHL roster by their age 20 season and a star player by 22 at the latest, where the later rounds are more projection. I think in this instance it gets discussed often because you take the wrong player and the one the scouts wanted ends up being really good, and for your rivals 25 miles down the road to add salt. I don't think Blake is wrong or should be criticized for the action itself, but it's definitely fair to be very critical of the results, if you do go against your scouts you should get more praise if it's a hit and more criticism if it's a miss.

I still don't know what to think on the Brisson thing, I personally think it's more of a coincidence, but some stuff does make you wonder. I know Portillo was pretty highly sought after, and he ends up in LA. My belief is the Kings horrendous goaltending depth chart was probably the biggest factor, but another Brisson connection.

 

[johnjm22]

What perspective?

Do you think we are suggesting that he is Snidley Whiplash? Like he is some heel that is always scheming?

I am saying that he has SEVERAL shady dealings with Robitaille that have only favored his clients at the expense of a healthy organization. Not just bad hockey decisions like Petersen, but overly long and excessively high salaries that have offered the team next to nothing while the agent profits and sets new standards for salaries across the league. It's called collusion.

Dubois's contract isn't excessively high like a lot of you think it is.

Don't get me wrong, I think it sucks, but the deal he got is what a player of his ilk and age is going get if you want to lock them up long term with the cap expected to go up over time.

 

[Statto]

So that was Yannetti talking to Blake?

Tough to read into one line, but this does seem to validate what Rosen said, that it was Blake's decision and maybe not what the scouts wanted. If it were their call you would think the GM would be asking that question to the head scout.

And just to defend Blake (just this one time), I think many teams do have it where the 1st round pick is the GM's call and everything else he defers to the scouts, especially with a pick as high as this was. When you are picking Top 5 you are taking a player that the expectations should be they are contributing to your NHL roster by their age 20 season and a star player by 22 at the latest, where the later rounds are more projection. I think in this instance it gets discussed often because you take the wrong player and the one the scouts wanted ends up being really good, and for your rivals 25 miles down the road to add salt. I don't think Blake is wrong or should be criticized for the action itself, but it's definitely fair to be very critical of the results, if you do go against your scouts you should get more praise if it's a hit and more criticism if it's a miss.

I still don't know what to think on the Brisson thing, I personally think it's more of a coincidence, but some stuff does make you wonder. I know Portillo was pretty highly sought after, and he ends up in LA. My belief is the Kings horrendous goaltending depth chart was probably the biggest factor, but another Brisson connection.

I’m 100% sure I’ve heard Blake and/or Yanetti state Blake decides on the 1st round picks.

 

[BaileyFan]

Idk why any of us are shocked that things seem to be trending towards the run-it-back course of action. Blake told us exactly what he was going to do, which is model this franchise after Nashville. Mediocrity was the goal all along, and he succeeded. Management believes the way to stay relevant in LA is by being singularly focused on just making the playoffs on a year-by-year basis (preferably as a low seed so they can stoke the “why not us” underdog energy and then say “everybody wrote us off anyway” when they lose). Whatever actually happens in said playoffs is of less consequence because we were in the hunt and hey, just get in and anything can happen.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Lewis better not be back next year.

I am hoping for a 4th line of Thomas-Turcotte-Joshua/Trenin/Duhaine.

 

[tigermask48]

LOL results of work mostly, I get to deal with a bunch of f***tards and morons on a daily basis, it bleeds into here I guess, but I don't get upset with management, sometimes they f*** up, sometimes they don't, it's amusing at best to see everyone flip a lid like it's not pro sports

"If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you're the asshole."
Well, the math on that quote checks out.

 

[CarlSneep]

If I have to watch them cut to Jim Hiller staring in disbelief while flop sweat spreads across his ill-fitting suit all next year I’m going to lose it. In what world does it make sense to get rid of the top guy but keep all his underlings and expect any real cha- oh I see why Blake likes this idea

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

"If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you're the asshole."
Well, the math on that quote checks out.

LOL you have no idea the industry I work in, but you keep believing you do