Is Rob Blake the Problem?

[Jason Squirties]

I think tomd fancies himself as the kenm of the kings hfboards. If you don’t know who I’m talking about, just google.

 

[tomd]

Got it with the starting at pick #50.

I am very cautious when assessing the future of these players as I'm not one of the guys just penciling everyone in. I do think that Grundstrom is someone that would have to completely blow the doors off to stay up this year as Blake and Co. have zero issue with letting everyone that can marinate in Ontario do so. But he is another guy taken in the 2nd round, while we are here.

Dean "stepped in to" Doughty by tanking. Blake might "step in to" Lafreniere or some other stud by tanking. By selling, he was also able to get the pick that became Bjornfot, the guy you are high on. It takes luck and a tank/sucking does not guarantee anything; however, it has also provided the following:

- Crosby/Malkin
- Kane/Toews
- Doughty. Toss in Schenn since he got Richards.
- Ovie/Backstrom

How many Cups is that over the last ten seasons? All of them except for Boston and St. Louis?

How many big name free agents did Dean sign? What he was able to do with that space was trade for contracts.

I agree that there is no accountability and that is a big issue I have with unbridled Blake optimism since he's basically been given a mulligan for all of his wrong decisions when he first took over and is basically being judged solely on the tank which, I mean, setting out to lose hockey games isn't difficult. As far as the tank goes, however, he is doing it by the book so that is a good thing. Again, the real test comes with building a real roster moving forward. This season was all about another very high draft pick but I think they expect to see improvement next year and Blake will start dealing as they have a better handle on where all of the prospects are at.

Interesting discussion and thanks for being civil

Yes, selling is fine as long as the returns are worth it. I maintained last year that the Kings were in a particularly bad position to do a total blow-up because their players (outside of Muzzin) weren't worth that much. That has proven to be true. Muzzin at least returned a 1st which became Bjornfot. Everyone else returned late 2nd's or worse which in the end probably won't result in much. But you are right that Blake has done the easy part by burning the house down and basically is left with a chimney around which to build a house. I don't see any foundational building blocks in the next couple of drafts like the duos you mentioned above.

If the Kings had been more in the position of Ottawa then I would have been totally on board with a tear down. Ottawa has reaped a gold mine of 1sts and high level prospects over the past 1-2 years which is going to give them a much much higher chance of rebuild success than the Kings have. I leave out any comment about Ottawa ownership in the process only to say that even the ownership won't screw up their rebuild until it is time to hand out big 2nd or 3rd contracts.

It will be interesting to see what Blake does this summer. He'll have gotten two top 5 picks in 2019 and 2020. He has lots of cap space. Does he do another obvious tank for 2021 (where the draft doesn't look overly strong at this point) or does he start bringing in some foundational talent? What does he tell the STH at the next annual meeting? What is the plan now that the big sell-off is complete???

 

[BigKing]

Interesting discussion and thanks for being civil

Yes, selling is fine as long as the returns are worth it. I maintained last year that the Kings were in a particularly bad position to do a total blow-up because their players (outside of Muzzin) weren't worth that much. That has proven to be true. Muzzin at least returned a 1st which became Bjornfot. Everyone else returned late 2nd's or worse which in the end probably won't result in much. But you are right that Blake has done the easy part by burning the house down and basically is left with a chimney around which to build a house. I don't see any foundational building blocks in the next couple of drafts like the duos you mentioned above.

If the Kings had been more in the position of Ottawa then I would have been totally on board with a tear down. Ottawa has reaped a gold mine of 1sts and high level prospects over the past 1-2 years which is going to give them a much much higher chance of rebuild success than the Kings have. I leave out any comment about Ottawa ownership in the process only to say that even the ownership won't screw up their rebuild until it is time to hand out big 2nd or 3rd contracts.

It will be interesting to see what Blake does this summer. He'll have gotten two top 5 picks in 2019 and 2020. He has lots of cap space. Does he do another obvious tank for 2021 (where the draft doesn't look overly strong at this point) or does he start bringing in some foundational talent? What does he tell the STH at the next annual meeting? What is the plan now that the big sell-off is complete???

No issue with being civil, although I do echo RJ's sentiments regarding what you would have done differently. We kind of beat this to death last year and then the Muzzin trade happened, we saw the course they decided upon and the argument stopped.

I love where Ottawa is this year but let's not forget that they punted on having the 4th overall pick last season. Kings pulled Turcotte/Bjornfot/Kaliyev out of the fist 33 picks. Ottawa has "made up" for blowing their 1st last year by San Jose basically doing what Ottawa did last year. They were extremely fortunate with the career year out of Pageau: there is no way you are looking at what they have to sell and circling Pageau as a 1st round return.

While I contend that being ranked #1 by Wheeler doesn't guaranty anything, Ottawa is ranked #7 in that same listing. Now, they have Tkachuk already doing at the NHL level whereas the Kings don't have anyone doing it in that age range but, still, I don't necessarily look at Ottawa compared to the Kings and say they are in a much better spot: especially if you contend that Kopitar and Doughty still have a lot to give which you must believe since you don't believe in a rebuild.

I'm not a Blake fan, but I'm not sure why Ottawa's rebuild is foolproof and can't be ruined by its clown show ownership but the Kings one has a ton of issues?

I'm a STH'er. Those that remained after last season knew this year would be a joke. They aren't going to raise ticket prices. If you agreed to pay going in to this year, then you are probably on board for next because this should be rock bottom as far as entertainment value goes. As far as what the plan is, the lottery is Step 1. If they get Lafreniere, Blake will be aggressive when it comes to bolstering the roster via UFA or trade. If not, less aggression on that end but I doubt they will simply run it back while adding prospects. Doesn't mean playoffs or bust, but I believe everyone from AEG down expects better results in the W/L column next year.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Interesting discussion and thanks for being civil

Yes, selling is fine as long as the returns are worth it. I maintained last year that the Kings were in a particularly bad position to do a total blow-up because their players (outside of Muzzin) weren't worth that much. That has proven to be true. Muzzin at least returned a 1st which became Bjornfot. Everyone else returned late 2nd's or worse which in the end probably won't result in much. But you are right that Blake has done the easy part by burning the house down and basically is left with a chimney around which to build a house. I don't see any foundational building blocks in the next couple of drafts like the duos you mentioned above.

If the Kings had been more in the position of Ottawa then I would have been totally on board with a tear down. Ottawa has reaped a gold mine of 1sts and high level prospects over the past 1-2 years which is going to give them a much much higher chance of rebuild success than the Kings have. I leave out any comment about Ottawa ownership in the process only to say that even the ownership won't screw up their rebuild until it is time to hand out big 2nd or 3rd contracts.

It will be interesting to see what Blake does this summer. He'll have gotten two top 5 picks in 2019 and 2020. He has lots of cap space. Does he do another obvious tank for 2021 (where the draft doesn't look overly strong at this point) or does he start bringing in some foundational talent? What does he tell the STH at the next annual meeting? What is the plan now that the big sell-off is complete???

Ottawa has had exactly 9 1st round picks in the last 9 years and outside of one miracle deep run have been a 1st-round-and-done or worse team for over a decade.

If you're going to call Ottawa's system a 'gold mine of high level prospects' you can't in good faith argue the Kings are in a worse position given they're ranked higher by every credible scout publication known to man. You're just down on the Kings prospects because that's your schtick and you're higher on any other team's prospects because facts elude you.

BigKing might be more civil than me on this issue but that's because I'm sick of your sidestepping and your transparent schtick all over these boards. You're either pretty smart and playing dumb or the alternative.

 

[BigKing]

Ottawa has had exactly 9 1st round picks in the last 9 years and outside of one miracle deep run have been a 1st-round-and-done or worse team for over a decade.

If you're going to call Ottawa's system a 'gold mine of high level prospects' you can't in good faith argue the Kings are in a worse position given they're ranked higher by every credible scout publication known to man. You're just down on the Kings prospects because that's your schtick and you're higher on any other team's prospects because facts elude you.

BigKing might be more civil than me on this issue but that's because I'm sick of your sidestepping and your transparent schtick all over these boards. You're either pretty smart and playing dumb or the alternative.

Calmer than you, Dude.

 

[jfont]

get rid of anything of value that you won't use going forward

The next step is the 6 million dollar man phase.
This team is barely alive.
We can rebuild it
We have the draft picks
We have the development

We can be better than we were before.
Better
Stronger
Faster

LMAO!!

 

[KingsFan7824]

About 1 out of every 5 players taken in the 2nd round end up playing 400 games. With 1 out of every 10 picks in the 2nd this year, the Kings should get at least 1 player that sticks around the roster for a while. Unless they screw up completely. An early pick, and then what looks like a couple late middle/early late picks. When you look at the names, from 2006 to 2011, you're a little more likely to get a player with a later 2nd than you are an early 2nd.

 

[crassbonanza]

Who is being more realistic here...me for advising caution that these draft picks will turn into more than 1 NHL caliber player or you who is expecting the rebuild to be built on long shot picks in the late 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounds?

What are you being realistic about? Are you arguing that Blake shouldn't have traded away his upcoming UFA's because you believe 2nd/3rd/4th round picks are worthless?

 

[Choralone]

Lots of people on this board like telling everyone else here how to guard against being "too" optimistic - how not to get their hopes too high lest they get dashed, how to be "realistic", that draft picks miss, that things go wrong, etc.

Mind your own mental health. I'm going to be optimistic, and if things go badly I'll adjust my expectations then.

 

[tonellisghost]

Though I partially agree with you, Blake has done amazing at the draft and signing college free agents. He has been the best GM when it comes to restocking the farm. Yeah, obviously sucking will get you a top prospect like Turcotte, but Kupari, Kaliyev, Bjornfot, Fagemo, etc. were all drafted by Blake because of good drafting, not luck.

That being said, his success depends on if he can get these prospects to transition to the NHL. He needs to make that next step to be considered better than average for me.

Can't credit Blake with what happens at the draft. He just takes who his scouting system/"advisers" tell him to take. While I agree that we are in a better position then we were when Blake took over he has also under sold (according to some NHL pundits/people) his assets at times. Sure developing those sort of skills take time but I guess if you spend time with Rob you will see where I am coming from. He is a stubborn guy who insists on getting his way at times (he is also a really nice guy who loves to surf and be in the ocean so big props for that part) and I believe it clouds his vision.

Next time you get a chance to talk to Luc ask him if he thinks Rob is a big egotistical and I bet he says something like "aren't we all". My point is that Blake hasn't done anything yet to distinguish himself as being anything other than average. This is fine when we are in a rebuilding phase or at least sort of alright but soon enough it is going to start to matter. I just don't see him as being anything special at the job and we have kept him while several (3) other GM's have come and gone.

I am a bit hard on this job in our org so I can accept that I may be biased but that doesn't make me wrong either.

Now get off of my lawn dammit!

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Can't credit Blake with what happens at the draft. He just takes who his scouting system/"advisers" tell him to take. While I agree that we are in a better position then we were when Blake took over he has also under sold (according to some NHL pundits/people) his assets at times. Sure developing those sort of skills take time but I guess if you spend time with Rob you will see where I am coming from. He is a stubborn guy who insists on getting his way at times (he is also a really nice guy who loves to surf and be in the ocean so big props for that part) and I believe it clouds his vision.

Next time you get a chance to talk to Luc ask him if he thinks Rob is a big egotistical and I bet he says something like "aren't we all". My point is that Blake hasn't done anything yet to distinguish himself as being anything other than average. This is fine when we are in a rebuilding phase or at least sort of alright but soon enough it is going to start to matter. I just don't see him as being anything special at the job and we have kept him while several (3) other GM's have come and gone.

I am a bit hard on this job in our org so I can accept that I may be biased but that doesn't make me wrong either.

Now get off of my lawn dammit!

Curious, who do people feel he undersold? And curious to what they base that on

 

[KINGS17]

Can't credit Blake with what happens at the draft. He just takes who his scouting system/"advisers" tell him to take. While I agree that we are in a better position then we were when Blake took over he has also under sold (according to some NHL pundits/people) his assets at times. Sure developing those sort of skills take time but I guess if you spend time with Rob you will see where I am coming from. He is a stubborn guy who insists on getting his way at times (he is also a really nice guy who loves to surf and be in the ocean so big props for that part) and I believe it clouds his vision.

Next time you get a chance to talk to Luc ask him if he thinks Rob is a big egotistical and I bet he says something like "aren't we all". My point is that Blake hasn't done anything yet to distinguish himself as being anything other than average. This is fine when we are in a rebuilding phase or at least sort of alright but soon enough it is going to start to matter. I just don't see him as being anything special at the job and we have kept him while several (3) other GM's have come and gone.

I am a bit hard on this job in our org so I can accept that I may be biased but that doesn't make me wrong either.

Now get off of my lawn dammit!

Do you think Luc is the person to be evaluating Blake's performance? It is a bit of a loaded question, but I am interested in your opinion on Luc as a hockey / player personnel executive.

 

[King'sPawn]

Can't credit Blake with what happens at the draft. He just takes who his scouting system/"advisers" tell him to take. While I agree that we are in a better position then we were when Blake took over he has also under sold (according to some NHL pundits/people) his assets at times. Sure developing those sort of skills take time but I guess if you spend time with Rob you will see where I am coming from. He is a stubborn guy who insists on getting his way at times (he is also a really nice guy who loves to surf and be in the ocean so big props for that part) and I believe it clouds his vision.

Next time you get a chance to talk to Luc ask him if he thinks Rob is a big egotistical and I bet he says something like "aren't we all". My point is that Blake hasn't done anything yet to distinguish himself as being anything other than average. This is fine when we are in a rebuilding phase or at least sort of alright but soon enough it is going to start to matter. I just don't see him as being anything special at the job and we have kept him while several (3) other GM's have come and gone.

I am a bit hard on this job in our org so I can accept that I may be biased but that doesn't make me wrong either.

Now get off of my lawn dammit!

- Blake has virtually the same advisors as Lombardi as far as telling him "who to take." Does Lombardi not get credit for his drafts?
- How can Blake be stubborn about getting his own way but also just picks who other people tell him to take? That's pretty conflicting.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Isn’t Blake supplying his scouts with more draft selections, and also in charge of who he hires in scouting and player development? The GM has a large part to play at the draft.

Lombardi often said he left things to his scouts, but he also told scouts what he wanted, like when he instructed Al Murray to draft a defenseman instead of a forward at the 2006 draft, and that’s how they ended up with Joey Ryan over Milan Lucic.

 

[tonellisghost]

Do you think Luc is the person to be evaluating Blake's performance? It is a bit of a loaded question, but I am interested in your opinion on Luc as a hockey / player personnel executive.

Luc was one of the greatest players of all time. Without question. An under rated skater and played a heart and soul game.

As an exec he is more of a guy in a suit PR figure head most of the time but his job has evolved over the past few seasons into more of a hands on head of the org kind of guy.

That's just the way I see him though. He is also a heck of a good guy away from the game.

 

[KINGS17]

Luc was one of the greatest players of all time. Without question. An under rated skater and played a heart and soul game.

As an exec he is more of a guy in a suit PR figure head most of the time but his job has evolved over the past few seasons into more of a hands on head of the org kind of guy.

That's just the way I see him though. He is also a heck of a good guy away from the game.

Thanks, I think Luc is a nice guy as well. My observation after meeting with him several times is I am not sure I would trust his organizational skills and attention to detail enough to be overseeing Blake.

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

Curious, who do people feel he undersold? And curious to what they base that on

Kubalik...period biggest Blake f...up and should be fired for that bit of Stupidity alone! Who hired this guy Blake...bring on Mike Futa and make Mark Yannetti the Assistant GM they have paid their dues and have restocked the cupboard...I bet Futa and Yanetti wanted Kubalik and saw him as a rising Star not like Brick-Head Blake!

 

[Choralone]

I also heard Blake got Kubalik's puppy drunk, banged her when she was semi-conscious, and shat in her doggy-pillow. What a cad.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Kubalik...period biggest Blake f...up and should be fired for that bit of Stupidity alone! Who hired this guy Blake...bring on Mike Futa and make Mark Yannetti the Assistant GM they have paid their dues and have restocked the cupboard...I bet Futa and Yanetti wanted Kubalik and saw him as a rising Star not like Brick-Head Blake!

Blake wouldn't sign Kubalik just to spite you. It's also time to put your ass on block. You're f***ing annoying.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Kubalik...period biggest Blake f...up and should be fired for that bit of Stupidity alone! Who hired this guy Blake...bring on Mike Futa and make Mark Yannetti the Assistant GM they have paid their dues and have restocked the cupboard...I bet Futa and Yanetti wanted Kubalik and saw him as a rising Star not like Brick-Head Blake!

Except again, you ignore the painfully f***ing obvious elephant in the room, that is KUBALIK REFUSED TO SIGN HERE.

Should I shout that again?

 

[FrozenKing18]

Luc was one of the greatest players of all time. Without question. An under rated skater and played a heart and soul game.

As an exec he is more of a guy in a suit PR figure head most of the time but his job has evolved over the past few seasons into more of a hands on head of the org kind of guy.

That's just the way I see him though. He is also a heck of a good guy away from the game.

Luc is a great guy! When I was a kid, I got to go down to the tunnel before warm ups, on the way there I see Luc walking and talking to another exec. He noticed me looking at him and stopped his conversation and took the time to shake my hand and asked if im excited to go down there and see the players and asked who my favorite player was. It was a great experience.

 

[The Gabe Blade]

Except again, you ignore the painfully f***ing obvious elephant in the room, that is KUBALIK REFUSED TO SIGN HERE.

Should I shout that again?

was it ever stated why?

 

[riznat]

Luc is a great guy! When I was a kid, I got to go down to the tunnel before warm ups, on the way there I see Luc walking and talking to another exec. He noticed me looking at him and stopped his conversation and took the time to shake my hand and asked if im excited to go down there and see the players and asked who my favorite player was. It was a great experience.

Who was your favorite player at that time?

I dunno when that was but as a kid my favorite was always Sandstom.

 

[FrozenKing18]

Who was your favorite player at that time?

I dunno when that was but as a kid my favorite was always Sandstom.

Dustin Brown in 2008

 

[DL44]

Right about now
You are about to be possessed
by the sounds of
GM Rob Blake and DJ E-Z Rock

Hit it!
It takes two to make a trade go right
It takes two to make it outta sight
It takes two to make a trade go right
It takes two to make it outta sight

I wanna trade right now
I'm Rob Blake and I came to get down
I'm not internationally known
But I'm known to trade the microphone
Because I get stupid, I mean outrageous
Stay away from me if you're contagious
'Cause I'm the winner, no, I'm not a loser
To be a GM is what I choose-a
Players love me, fans adore me
I mean even the ones who never saw me
Like the way that I rhyme at a show
The reason why, man, I don't know
So let's go, 'cause

It takes two to make a trade go right
It takes two to make it outta sight