Lombardi's rebuild got off better and was easier because by the time they drafted Doughty, they knew they now had a franchise center and a franchise defenseman in the system. That would be like having a young Barkov and Makar right now and supplementing them moving forward. At this point it's still not clear what the Kings have, other than that they almost certainly do not have even a top #2 young defenseman in the system, let alone a franchise defenseman and I hope nobody is putting the entire rebuild on a 35 year old Doughty either.
I wonder what Blake will do, I am only going to speculate now but I think Lombardi was more pro-active at identifying what he wanted and getting it. Blake to me seems more democratic and passive, he identifies a problematic area moreso than identifying the players he actually wants, and then there's probably option A, option B, option C and option D, and you wind up with option B or C to address the problem way too often. Do we really think Blake would have dealt O'Sullivan and a 2nd for Williams at that stage of the rebuild? The Lemieux trade, even if its just to get McLellan to stop using MacDermid, is pathetic in my mind if I'm honest. How many 4th line bodies do you need? I fear this is going to be Blake's problem, he is going to do everything passively by the book but it's not going to be enough. I think Lombardi was much sharper and went after his guys and made some difficult calls, while the feeling I get with Blake just listening to the interviews and the speculation and rumors is that he is more of a sit back and "let's see what is out there" guy. I prefer methodical GMs over guys who wheel and deal, but at some point you also need to strike gold a few times making difficult calls rather than just sitting back.
In saying that, I don't think there is something that had to be done by now necessarily (though it very well could have been done), but moving forward I'd like to see Blake impose a more concrete form upon the franchise than just talent accumulation and seeing what you've got. We should soon start seeing something that gives the team a little more identity. They've got so many assets now that you should start thinking "okay, this is what we need, these are the 2 or 3 guys we really want for that hole" and start addressing it, if you're going to wait 2 more years on every Andersson, Kupari, Clague and other B-level prospect out there, dick around with 8 4th liners playing for 3 spots... by the time you figure out what it is, you'll have a flat team with a poor mix and stagnating youth. But for me, the essence isn't about making playoffs next year or dealing for Eichel, the essence is that they have to start addressing the identity and character of the team and targeting players they really want that can address it.
: KOTP S2 E30 with guest Nelson Emerson Kings Of The Podcast on Apple Podcasts
