News Article: Top GM's rated (DL #6)

[RonSwanson*]

Most of Lombardi's bad moves has been through UFA signings rather than trades. Even though we won the Cup, the Penner move is bad. Teubert might never make it, but the 1st turned into Klefbom, who recently signed a deal with the Oilers and they are high on.

Carter for Johnson was a great deal. The Richards deal still bothers me a bit, not because of Schenn, but because what Simmonds became...but again, Richards was a monster in the first 3 rounds of the playoffs.

I always thought that Chiarelli is a solid GM who makes solid trades. A name not mentioned is Dave Nonis. He is behind most of Toronto's moves (even when Burke was there) and stole Luongo when he was in Vancouver. Had some success in Vancouver (one playoff run in three seasons) and now his first full year in Toronto they are playoff bound. On that behind the scenes NHL show a few seasons back it looked like he was doing all the work for Burke in the Phaneuf trade. He seems like a solid trader.

Holland is the man everyone looks up to. Lou in NJ hasn't achieved much in a few years and made some questional trades and UFA signings.

Mitchell, Scuderi, and to a lesser extent Gagne were exceptional UFA signings.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Gagne? He played 45 regular seasons games in 1.5 seasons? Should have played 100!

For every Mitchell and Scuderi there is a Tom Preissing, Rob Blake, Kyle Calder, Trent Hunter, Ethan Moreau, and Brian Wilsie...

 

[RonSwanson*]

Gagne? He played 45 regular seasons games in 1.5 seasons? Should have played 100!

For every Mitchell and Scuderi there is a Tom Preissing, Rob Blake, Kyle Calder, Trent Hunter, Ethan Moreau, and Brian Wilsie...

Injuries aren't Lombardi's fault.

 

[Johnny Utah]

I really was not impressed with Gagne, even healthy. He started out hot, got injured, was invisible in the playoffs when he came back and was awful this year after he said he was completely healthy.

 

[RonSwanson*]

I really was not impressed with Gagne, even healthy. He started out hot, got injured, was invisible in the playoffs when he came back and was awful this year after he said he was completely healthy.

I wasn't either, but it wasn't necessarily a BAD UFA signing.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Gagne? He played 45 regular seasons games in 1.5 seasons? Should have played 100!

For every Mitchell and Scuderi there is a Tom Preissing, Rob Blake, Kyle Calder, Trent Hunter, Ethan Moreau, and Brian Wilsie...

Good thing most on that list were looked at as short term fillers on the roster and weren't really counted upon as being big additions.

Guys like Mitchell and Scuderi were brought in for the long haul. Same applies with guys like Greene and Stoll. Aside from Moreau and Hunter (who were thankfully replaced internally with King and Nolan) most of those names were picked up under Lombardi's first two years under tenure as Kings GM, when the team had virtually no depth and signed a bunch of players to fill holes over the short term.

Thankfully we didn't see the Kings end up with a disaster at their hands like a Bryzgalov, Redden, Gomez, Drury type contract and cap space has never been an issue for the Kings under Lombardi's management.

 

[kingsfan28]

I am telling you, that was part of hiring Crawford.

Crawford wanted his guy and goal and sold Lombardi that Cloutier was a competitive guy and would help change the losing culture and the cliques in the locker room

This is the exact reason Cloutier was included. He sold DL on him and he took the bait. I have to think the same doctors who said Fraser was totally healthy were the same ones who said Cloutier was healthy too.

As for the list, why is Yzerman on that list, let alone ranked so high? Chuck Fletcher, please...just because you sign the top free agent doesnt get you a vote. Kind of shows you how out of touch Melrose is getting. And on some peoples list, Lombardi wasnt even included. I guess building a cup winning team doesnt carry as much weight as it use to in the eyes of some reporters.

 

[kingsfan28]

So why did he re-sign him?

I believe Lombardi said he was afraid of him hitting the open market being a UFA when the market was very small for goalies and have to overpay to retain him. He couldnt have foreseen the problem he'd have once the season started. I know he went on the advice that he was totally healthy, but we all know now it wasnt the case now.

 

[Whiskeypete]

very little i think has been mentioned about just what Dean accomplished, in such a short time period. yes Taylor had some key pieces in place when Dean came on board. at the same time after the Brown, Kopitar and Quick's there was a whole lot of guys that weren't worth anything. it sounds cold and mean, but facts are facts. you either climb up the rankings to the NHL club and produce, or you don't.

in such a short time Dean was able to rebuild a franchise essentially from the foundation all the way to the roof. he didn't and hasn't so far squandered any assets for the sake of winning the SC like other GMs will. the guys that literally go 'all in' for that one or two runs at the Cup, knowing that past that window they will face a big down turn.

i was and am as guilty as the next guy on here of being critical of DL. it is a good thing he is in charge and not me or others around here. dude clearly has a very structured and well planned process in place that will pay dividends for seasons to come.

#1 - where ever hextall goes that club will see a good turn around and success. i have to imagine that guy has been picking Dean's brain forever and learning from him. as DL learned from Uncle Lou, i would expect the same to happen with dean to Hextall

#2 - i would love to sit down with Dean for an afternoon over some beers and just talk hockey. hear from him and learn from him what he looks for and sees. i already sit and watch guys to analyze skills, techniques and methods. i dont often watch games just 'for entertainment' reasons. that entertainment to me is watching and learning. i would like to hear directly from him how he does the same as i do

glad we got him. im sure SJ management has been kicking themselves for obvious reasons

 

[Scottkmlps]

Gagne? He played 45 regular seasons games in 1.5 seasons? Should have played 100!

For every Mitchell and Scuderi there is a Tom Preissing, Rob Blake, Kyle Calder, Trent Hunter, Ethan Moreau, and Brian Wilsie...

Oh you mean the players that Lombardi has admitted were signed as bridge players?

 

[KingKopitar11*]

Wow when will people let Simmonds go he's doing better on the FLYERS before that he was a MURRAY player. He didn't get better he didn't become anything else, he'd be better under Sutter but not that much. Jeez it's the flyers. People need to understand that some systems are harder than othersm

 

[KingKopitar11*]

I wouldn't trade Dean for anyone.

I might for Chiarelli.

 

[goosh]

I might for Chiarelli.

I love Dean, and I'd definitely rather have Chiarelli. I think he, Poile, and Shero are on a different level from everyone else.

 

[KingPuckChoo]

I seriously love Lombardi as GM. There's never been a point where I've thought a move he made was stupid and the moves he does make I really thought they needed. It's so refreshing when all the other GMs of teams I root are absolute idiots most of the time.

really? not even D. Cloutier for two 2nds?

 

[kingsfan]

Simmonds has already hit his peak and I'm not sure Schenn has a great hockey IQ.

Not one mention of Holmgren on that list that I could see. A lot of Flyer fans act like he's a genius.

I'm sorry, but I don't see how you can definitively label a 24-year-old as hitting his peak.

Mitchell, Scuderi, and to a lesser extent Gagne were exceptional UFA signings.

How was Gagne an exceptional signing?

 

[HYORI 1963]

Dean has made quite a few bad moves, but not very many over the last two years. Bringing in Moreau and Hunter wasn't a good decision, but that's it since the Richards trade IMO.

Not sure about the bolded. Surely, Moreau and Hunter didn't pan out, but at the same time, these acquisitions were so minor. Two older big bodied vets hoping for a rebound season, playing for basically a league minimum. Not much of a risk or impact imo.

Besides, we actually won the cup the same year these players actually played with the kings. If anything, I give Lombardi credit for recognizing that we needed some bigger bodies. And eventually, Moreau and Hunter were replaced by King and Nolan who helped us play the kind of game that was needed for us to win the cup.

 

[Captain Mittens*]

I really was not impressed with Gagne, even healthy. He started out hot, got injured, was invisible in the playoffs when he came back and was awful this year after he said he was completely healthy.

One of DL's biggest accomplishments is getting a guy like Gagne to sign here in the first place. We were just unfortunate to get him on his last legs.
He or possibly Duchesne are the biggest UFA signings in franchise history.

 

[jml87]

really? not even D. Cloutier for two 2nds?

First, I won't comment on this cause I didn't start following the Kings heavily until after the Richards trade. So let's say for me, I really haven't disagreed with anything Lombardi has done since the Richards trade. You want to say the Moreau/Hunter signings were a mistake? Fine, but they were small, insignificant moves in the long run. As soon as King and Nolan came up, they were dropped which was the right choice.

I mean even when we are talking about bad moves here, are these moves that crippled the team financially? To the point where talent needed to be sacrificed just to stay under the cap? Has the vision of the team ever not made sense? The Kings have two amazing homegrown defensemen, a number of amazing homegrown offensive players, and two amazing homegrown goaltenders. Now Lombardi doesn't get all the credit for this considering a lot were drafted before his tenure, but he could've gotten rid of them through bad moves. He could've given up on some of them when they were having issues.

Right now, you've got a young stanley cup team with a strong minor league system. Not to mention, there are no cap issues. You need a goal scorer in 2012? Jeff Carter. You need a vet defenseman in 2013? Robyn Regehr. It's so easy when you're not constantly banging your head on the cap ceiling. This team is very well put together so even when mistakes are made, they aren't mindblowing, team crippling mistakes. There have been times where maybe I've thought, 'Well that's a bit odd' but I've never been like 'Oh my God, you fricking idiot! Your moves make no sense and I hate you!'.

Again, he's not perfect, but like I said, I am used to rooting for teams whose GMs have no plans and just try to do the most flashy moves possible until they paint themselves into a corner. I trust DL to make the right moves and I don't worry about him ruining the team.

 

[Whiskeypete]

Hunter and Moreau were reclamation projects that cost nothing. most GMs will take a shot with vets such as them, knowing what will happen. they either get a vet for cheap and the guy 'catches lightning in the bottle' for a year or two. otherwise they don't pan out and it costs them literally nothing.

Hunter and Moreau were the blueprint of what DL had in the works. they didn't work, but they did provide that 'bridge' he talks about. they 'bridged' a time that allowed King and Nolan an extra half season to mature before being called up.

look at Wilson up in SJ, he is doing this with Gomez. hoping to add a guy that can possibly give him something close to what he was for peanuts.

it is also why guys like B Rolston and J Pandolfo hung around the league for years in their twilight years. they were solid two way guys that still gave the team a boost, for peanuts.


the Gagne signing was important, but in a different way. i don't consider it 'exceptional' , but like the signing of Scuds and Mitchell it showed the change in perception of LA as a destination for FA's. Dean was largely responsible for this change in the culture and the product on the ice that would make FA's consider LA as a viable option.