Around the League 2020-21 Part 3, Trade Deadline Edition

[BigKing]

Ok, I see your point. If you are referring to BLuc, I agree, but wasn't Carter also part of the faulty foundation on which they were trying to build. Carter looked around and didn't see any leadership from the guys who were supposed to be taking on that role, and decided he would just go along for the ride.

I am concerned this team won't get better until the organization cleans house again. This former Kings player nepotism has never worked well for the Kings and has failed with other teams as well, most notably the Oilers.

I am for firing Robitaille and Blake tomorrow and giving a solid hockey management team a chance. Start with a call to John Davidson, and go from there.

JD already back with CBJ

 

[Sol]

Okay I just watched the goals from Carter. I'm extremely pissed. I've watched all the goals from Carter on the pens. He was never positionally shooting from these angles at all. What the f***. f*** TMac. Fire these people. God all these goals he's scoring from angles he was never in on the Kings is so annoying. God damn it.


Okay just fire them all plssss

 

[Steve Zissou]

 

[BigKing]

This summer is really going to be something.

I've been hammering Blake's negative track record of NHL acquisitions so it's nice to see someone else say it. That's what makes this summer so frightening and exciting at the same time.

Current management rode DL's coattails and then lost on purpose. Do they know what they are doing? It's just so hard to believe in the 1999 Kings to lead us to the promise land.

 

[ru4reals]

I don't know if Carts quit on the Kings look at the make up of this team. Aging Vets and inexperienced kids. Pens are still a good team with Crosby and Malkin it's night and day. Glad he's doing good but rooting for the Islanders.

 

[bland]

Ok, I see your point. If you are referring to BLuc, I agree, but wasn't Carter also part of the faulty foundation on which they were trying to build. Carter looked around and didn't see any leadership from the guys who were supposed to be taking on that role, and decided he would just go along for the ride.

I am concerned this team won't get better until the organization cleans house again. This former Kings player nepotism has never worked well for the Kings and has failed with other teams as well, most notably the Oilers.

I am for firing Robitaille and Blake tomorrow and giving a solid hockey management team a chance. Start with a call to John Davidson, and go from there.

I don't think anyone actively decided to take their skate off the gas. It's a collective malaise coming from maintaining something for far too long than trying to change it. They lost their internal drive and settled. But they are surrounded by huggers and glad-handers.

This core is soft and spoiled. Honestly, they don't deserve another chance together. Carter is playing meaningful games for the first time in ages, glad he gets that chance.

I still think Colorado would win at least two Cups if they went for broke and added Kopitar behind MacKinnon. Doughty is still an elite player who would shine in a high pressure environment. But here, both are just rotting away.

 

[Sol]

This summer is really going to be something.

I've been hammering Blake's negative track record of NHL acquisitions so it's nice to see someone else say it. That's what makes this summer so frightening and exciting at the same time.

Current management rode DL's coattails and then lost on purpose. Do they know what they are doing? It's just so hard to believe in the 1999 Kings to lead us to the promise land.

scary time to be a Kings fan since I have no faith in TMac and no faith in Blake. Our team has so many problems. Spineless players, inept coach. Luc and Blake.

I present to you, the three stooges.


We need Modry back.

 

[BigKing]

Okay I just watched the goals from Carter. I'm extremely pissed. I've watched all the goals from Carter on the pens. He was never positionally shooting from these angles at all. What the f***. f*** TMac. Fire these people. God all these goals he's scoring from angles he was never in on the Kings is so annoying. God damn it.


Okay just fire them all plssss

This is the post when you realize you're 2014 CBJ. Then you stop, think about it and realize you are CBJ for the entirety of their existence save for 2012 - '14 and always have been.

The last seven seasons are generally what it's like to be a Kings fan. We just have expectations now so it's even worse.

 

[BigKing]

scary time to be a Kings fan since I have no faith in TMac and no faith in Blake. Our team has so many problems. Spineless players, inept coach. Luc and Blake.

I present to you, the three stooges.


We need Modry back.

I think Modry is here in some capacity! That's the point haha!!

 

[tomd]

This summer is really going to be something.

I've been hammering Blake's negative track record of NHL acquisitions so it's nice to see someone else say it. That's what makes this summer so frightening and exciting at the same time.

Current management rode DL's coattails and then lost on purpose. Do they know what they are doing? It's just so hard to believe in the 1999 Kings to lead us to the promise land.

I've been saying this for the last 2.5 years...

 

[Herby]

This summer is really going to be something.

I've been hammering Blake's negative track record of NHL acquisitions so it's nice to see someone else say it. That's what makes this summer so frightening and exciting at the same time.

Current management rode DL's coattails and then lost on purpose. Do they know what they are doing? It's just so hard to believe in the 1999 Kings to lead us to the promise land.

Not sure I agree with this.

If Kopitar, Doughty, Quick, Brown and Carter were the five core players Blake inherited, well three of those were drafted by Dave Taylor a dozen years before Blake was hired.

Blake was also left with a complete and total dog**** prospect pool, maybe the worst in the league at the time of his hiring.

I'm not trying to defend Blake, he has more than added to the disaster with his terrible signings, trades and coach hirings but it was not going to be easy for anyone to come in try and fix the complete and total disaster the Kings were in April 2017.

That being said, Blake should have realized it was over and blown it up, he owns everything since he took over.

 

[tomd]

Not sure I agree with this.

If Kopitar, Doughty, Quick, Brown and Carter were the five core players Blake inherited, well three of those were drafted by Dave Taylor a dozen years before Blake was hired.

Blake was also left with a complete and total dog**** prospect pool, maybe the worst in the league at the time of his hiring.

I'm not trying to defend Blake, he has more than added to the disaster with his terrible signings, trades and coach hirings but it was not going to be easy for anyone to come in try and fix the complete and total disaster the Kings were in April 2017.

That being said, Blake should have realized it was over, he owns everything since he took over.

Blake wanted to be 1/2 pregnant and that never works. Can't do a rebuild when you keep your 5 most expensive and veteran players.

 

[kingsboy11]

Holy shit that Tavares play is scary

 

[Gjwrams]

Blake got fleeced on the Carter deal.

If Carter played like this the past few years, Blake would have received a 1st.

Hell, he might still be commuting from the volleyball courts of Manhattan Beach to Staples. Hell, we might of even made the playoffs this year.

 

[Esteban Tornado]

Not sure I agree with this.

If Kopitar, Doughty, Quick, Brown and Carter were the five core players Blake inherited, well three of those were drafted by Dave Taylor a dozen years before Blake was hired.

Blake was also left with a complete and total dog**** prospect pool, maybe the worst in the league at the time of his hiring.

I'm not trying to defend Blake, he has more than added to the disaster with his terrible signings, trades and coach hirings but it was not going to be easy for anyone to come in try and fix the complete and total disaster the Kings were in April 2017.

That being said, Blake should have realized it was over and blown it up, he owns everything since he took over.

Wasn’t Blake AGM for a year or 2 before assuming GM? That was plenty of time to recognize the situation and act accordingly

 

[bland]

This summer is really going to be something.

I've been hammering Blake's negative track record of NHL acquisitions so it's nice to see someone else say it. That's what makes this summer so frightening and exciting at the same time.

Current management rode DL's coattails and then lost on purpose. Do they know what they are doing? It's just so hard to believe in the 1999 Kings to lead us to the promise land.

See, the thing is that Blake's futility at the NHL level has actually been a backdoor positive because it ushered in a badly needed rebuild. This group had zero chance of succeeding, it had to be broken up. Every Cammalleri, Jokinen, Thompson, Mitchell, Phanuef, Kovalchuk, Maatta, and Athanasiou is just getting closer to the inevitable. And Blake did an admirable job tearing down what he could not build.

What should scare the living hell out of every fan here is thinking that this same group is going to sacrifice their best chance at washing away this stink in favor of giving this malaise yet another shot by bringing in more of what is not needed in the guise of "getting better".

 

[bland]

Not sure I agree with this.

If Kopitar, Doughty, Quick, Brown and Carter were the five core players Blake inherited, well three of those were drafted by Dave Taylor a dozen years before Blake was hired.

Blake was also left with a complete and total dog**** prospect pool, maybe the worst in the league at the time of his hiring.

I'm not trying to defend Blake, he has more than added to the disaster with his terrible signings, trades and coach hirings but it was not going to be easy for anyone to come in try and fix the complete and total disaster the Kings were in April 2017.

That being said, Blake should have realized it was over and blown it up, he owns everything since he took over.

So do you trust his moves and judgement to try and immediately improve, knowing his attempts at doing so in the recent past were all misfires?

 

[Sol]

I think Modry is here in some capacity! That's the point haha!!

Yes we need modrys amazing defensive acumen back lol.

Not sure I agree with this.

If Kopitar, Doughty, Quick, Brown and Carter were the five core players Blake inherited, well three of those were drafted by Dave Taylor a dozen years before Blake was hired.

Blake was also left with a complete and total dog**** prospect pool, maybe the worst in the league at the time of his hiring.

I'm not trying to defend Blake, he has more than added to the disaster with his terrible signings, trades and coach hirings but it was not going to be easy for anyone to come in try and fix the complete and total disaster the Kings were in April 2017.

That being said, Blake should have realized it was over and blown it up, he owns everything since he took over.

Okay, this is speculation when I say this but I think it's fairly obvious to me that the scouts do the drafting and the GM tells them which direction they are going.


So I don't give Blake much props for doing the obvious. And I give more props to the scouts for that. I think Blake and Luc have been absolutely terrible with their coaching hires and I do think that has set the team back for sure. The Kings haven't done anything good besides drafting. And I give the scouts props for that.

From Stevens.. To WillieD, and then a failure of a coach who's led shitty locker rooms his whole career, TMac.

If you can give me a reason besides prospects to be hopeful about Blake then give it a try.

 

[Herby]

I got to give credit to one of my buddies who is a big Leafs fan, he vox'ed me

"Thornton is going to cost us a (expletive) game in this series, you watch"

He warranted the Nostradamus pic I replied with after the game.

All that talent on their roster and they have a 42 year old who can barely move out there on the PP. Why do the Leafs look to washed up former Sharks to be key contributors, they couldn't get the job done in the playoffs when they were 32, but they are veteran additions at 42? hmm

 

[Sol]

I don't know if Carts quit on the Kings look at the make up of this team. Aging Vets and inexperienced kids. Pens are still a good team with Crosby and Malkin it's night and day. Glad he's doing good but rooting for the Islanders.

He absolutely quit on the Kings. There were some games he tried on the Kings and a lot where he didn't. The disparity was obvious. Put him on a team playing for something... Then expect him to put in effort. He quit on the Kings and so would I if I was him. The team is and was going no where for years.

 

[Herby]

So do you trust his moves and judgement to try and immediately improve, knowing his attempts at doing so in the recent past were all misfires?

I would prefer if Blake were fired tomorrow and replaced by someone who has never spent a single second in this organization.

But the reality is, that isn't going to happen with his buddy Luc having complete control of the organization. So yes I would prefer if Blake made a move for the 24 year old superstar, since its extremely unlikely this chance will present itself again in the near future, either for Blake or for his potential replacement.

But I'm sure he'll once again add another future 2nd line center in the draft, and stick with his coach and his stupid defensive system that hasn't been relevant in this league for a decade.

 

[Gurglesons]

He absolutely quit on the Kings. There were some games he tried on the Kings and a lot where he didn't. The disparity was obvious. Put him on a team playing for something... Then expect him to put in effort. He quit on the Kings and so would I if I was him. The team is and was going no where for years.

that’s the recipe though. You build a contender. It has its window and you either try to extend it or sell off. PIT was terrible for a couple years and did what CHI and LA didn’t do and sold of our pieces effectively just like BOS.

 

[King'sPawn]

Ok, I see your point. If you are referring to BLuc, I agree, but wasn't Carter also part of the faulty foundation on which they were trying to build. Carter looked around and didn't see any leadership from the guys who were supposed to be taking on that role, and decided he would just go along for the ride.

I am concerned this team won't get better until the organization cleans house again. This former Kings player nepotism has never worked well for the Kings and has failed with other teams as well, most notably the Oilers.

I am for firing Robitaille and Blake tomorrow and giving a solid hockey management team a chance. Start with a call to John Davidson, and go from there.

This is as far as I can get with my thinking.

Lombardi built a culture of compete, and brought in a coach (Sutter) who will win by attrition. Unfortunately, it has a short shelf life, and the solution was to try to bring in staff to make the players happy.

I don't know what "identity" they were going for. They want pace and skill. They have some skilled prospects to rebuild that, but what vets did Blake bring in?

I fully expect Blake at least to be let go if he misses the playoffs next season.

It's very possible the Kings won't get better until they clean house. I don't like calling for that, as many jobs get affected by this. All I do know is what they currently have is not working. Whether it's new staff, new approach, new execution, or new training regiment, players will continue to have decreased value from offense.

Bland touched on a key point where offense is not generated from the blueline. Shots not getting through, breakout passes, net attacking, etc.

Makar is an elite talent on Colorado, and he's among the best at it. But the entire team executes, which makes the team successful.

 

[BigKing]

Not sure I agree with this.

If Kopitar, Doughty, Quick, Brown and Carter were the five core players Blake inherited, well three of those were drafted by Dave Taylor a dozen years before Blake was hired.

Blake was also left with a complete and total dog**** prospect pool, maybe the worst in the league at the time of his hiring.

I'm not trying to defend Blake, he has more than added to the disaster with his terrible signings, trades and coach hirings but it was not going to be easy for anyone to come in try and fix the complete and total disaster the Kings were in April 2017.

That being said, Blake should have realized it was over and blown it up, he owns everything since he took over.

He inherited a bunch of other guys that have gone on to be good elsewhere as well.

But you said it: he just ran back DL's team. Then he added to it. Less than two months into the season when he added to the team, he fires his first coaching hire.

We wanted a rebuild so we're happy about that but I hate how so many don't want to blame Blake for anything because of Lombardi. This will be Blake's fifth draft for Christ's sake. This is squarely his team now and the lack of progress this season is his to wear.

His picks. His coach. His culture.

 

[deeshamrock]

Holy shit that Tavares play is scary