BLAKE IS GONE!

[CaptHowdy00]

Los Angeles Kings, GM Rob Blake part ways after collapse vs. Oilers

The Los Angeles Kings' inability to get past the Edmonton Oilers has led the team and general manager Rob Blake to part ways.

www.usatoday.com

Oh happy day! Now the rest of them need to go too! HC, the entire front office.

 

[davnlaguna]

Los Angeles Kings, GM Rob Blake part ways after collapse vs. Oilers

The Los Angeles Kings' inability to get past the Edmonton Oilers has led the team and general manager Rob Blake to part ways.

www.usatoday.com

Oh happy day! Now the rest of them need to go too! HC, the entire front office.

It will depend on who replaces him.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Los Angeles Kings, GM Rob Blake part ways after collapse vs. Oilers

The Los Angeles Kings' inability to get past the Edmonton Oilers has led the team and general manager Rob Blake to part ways.

www.usatoday.com

Oh happy day! Now the rest of them need to go too! HC, the entire front office.

Most of his beach bum cronies need to go. Emerson, Murray, O'Donnell, Greene, Robitaille, that's who I can think of off the top of my head. The reason I say "most" is because of Greene, I don't know enough about his duties within the organization although I believe he works with the defense prospects. He stays out of the camera and seems to be doing a good job, but again I don't know enough. Everyone else, they've shown they just collect checks and sit on the sand.

All I do know is that when AEG cleaned house in 2006 and hired Dumbo, there were zero ties to names on the back and it worked out. Would love to see something like that happen again.

 

[CaptHowdy00]

Most of his beach bum cronies need to go. Emerson, Murray, O'Donnell, Greene, Robitaille, that's who I can think of off the top of my head. The reason I say "most" is because of Greene, I don't know enough about his duties within the organization although I believe he works with the defense prospects. He stays out of the camera and seems to be doing a good job, but again I don't know enough. Everyone else, they've shown they just collect checks and sit on the sand.

All I do know is that when AEG cleaned house in 2006 and hired Dumbo, there were zero ties to names on the back and it worked out. Would love to see something like that happen again.

100%

 

[histkng23]

Bittersweet, but he had 8 years ro make the club become a legit contender. Clearly he was unable to do that. Personally I put most of his errors on mismanagement of assets and poor drafting philosophy. Not developing a legit roster of defenseman & goalies to build off of. Coupled with no legit character driven winners (Williams, Richards, Stoll, Greene, Mitchell, Reagher) never got this team over the hump.

Hope his buddy system is also purged from the organization....

 

[davnlaguna]

I worry Luc will hire another friend
Roenick, Jagr, pat Brisson or his wife.
I don’t know who is available but Luc needs to go outside his comfort zone

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Would be hilarious if the Kings hired Sean Avery as GM...

 

[histkng23]

Per Hovan, potential candidates are:
Yanetti (yikes!)
Futa (wouldn't mind)
Marc Bergevin

Then additional potentials:
Nelson Emerson – current LA AGM
Glen Murray – current Sr. Director of Player Personnel
Pat Brisson – high-profile hockey agent
Chuck Fletcher – former Flyers GM
Ron Hextall – former Penguins GM
Jarmo Kekalainen – former Blue Jackets GM
Ken Holland – longtime Red Wings GM
Pierre Dorion – former Senators GM
Lou Lamoriello – former Islanders GM


Lamoriello would be interesting, in that he was close to Deano, and has an obvious successful track record....

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Out of all those my picks would be Futa (here during the rebuild and Cups so he's familiar but left the organization in 2020) or Kekalainen. Absolutely do not want any of those ex Kings or Brisson or Bergeron.

Yanetti? GTFO here, you couldn't build a Lego set let alone a Cup team. All these busted draft picks are a result of him and Bowlby.

 

[xis]

Futa is the only real good choice. He's also expressed that he would "LOVE" to come back.

PS: Yanetti isn't even a real option. That dude doesn't even know how to communicate with real people. How's he even going to get on the phone with other GMs and make deals. Futa was the real architect of the cup teams. He's my only option.

Lamoriello is a 189 years old and pretty much retired.
Dorion is a blunderwagon waiting to happen.
Holland was at one time considered to be one of the best GMs league but he's also checked out.
Jarmo will make bold moves that would make Blakes look like child's play. He'll trade Kopitar for a 1st round pick only to select a goalie 98 spots ahead of where he should be taken and will be the back up in Ontario for 9 years.

 

[xis]

Would be hilarious if the Kings hired Sean Avery as GM...

I'm down

 

[PuckinUgly57]

I'm down

He wouldn't build a soft team, that's for sure.

 

[davnlaguna]

Bergevin Was mentioned in Lucs press conference today. Just as a possibility

 

[histkng23]

Wasn't Bergevin operating as Assistant to the GM for Blake recently? Similar to how Jack Ferrera was for Deano during the Cup years....

 

[xis]

Wasn't Bergevin operating as Assistant to the GM for Blake recently? Similar to how Jack Ferrera was for Deano during the Cup years....

No, Bergevin was a "special advisor to the GM." Emerson was the assistant GM and usually the assistant GM is the GM of the farm team but Emerson wasn't the Regin's GM in this case. Richard Seeley is the Regin's GM currently.

I didn't even mention guys like Murray, Bergevin or Emerson and you can put Yanetti in there for that matter, because they should not even be mentioned as candidates.

The new GM will have to do what Dean did and rebuild parts of the franchise. I'll say it again. The biggest issue this franchise has is a player development issues. I don't care how bad Blake and his team were at picking players the development team could have and should have done better at preparing these kids to succeed. I'll just come out and say it. This franchise worried too much about being "woke" than building a winning atmosphere. For example, WTF is a Hockey Operations/Prospect Advisor??? Yeah Manon Rheaume was hired as a prospect advisor? To do what? teach them out to fold laundry? Wup could have done that (long time posters will get it)

I'm bitter this year dudes. This team had a path to make a decent run. Not saying win a cup but at least win 2 rounds. Vegas looks beatable.
Pacific division round 2 features the 2 worst goalies in the playoffs. Sad.

 

[CaptHowdy00]

Key Takeaways from Luc Robitaille's End-Of-Season Media Availability - LA Kings Insider

Kings President Luc Robitaille addressed the media today on a variety of different topics. Following yesterday’s announcement that the Kings and Rob Blake had decided to mutually part ways following the 2024-25 season, Robitaille addressed the decision during today’s availability, noting that it...

lakingsinsider.com

I don’t care if it was “mutual” to save face, I’m just happy Blake is gone. But at the same time, leaving Luc as president needs to change. The Kings need to cut ties with the past and work on the future. And as long as Luc is there, the Kings will never be able to move forward.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

The culture has to change. This group thinks it's some achievement just to make the POs, not win in them. That was instilled from the top, hell just last season after McClellan was fired Jill's mandate was to just salvage the season and get into the POs (which he handled marvelously).

But with the additions last summer, the way the RS played out and expectations at the start of the season to advance past the first round that was an epic fail. Obviously Jill's coaching and roster deployment was a huge piece of that failure as we all saw. The players spewed the usual "we couldn't get it done" lines after the series ended.

That's just unacceptable for a capped out team. I don't think the Kings need a full rebuild but there definitely needs to be some tinkering with the roster bringing in those Greene, Stoll, Richards, etc win at all costs kind of guys.

The status quo and acceptance of failure absolutely has to change.

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Would be hilarious if the Kings hired Sean Avery as GM...

I believe Avery is busy. He's working on an adult novel based on hockey.

Ex-NHL goon Sean Avery writes 'sexy and addictive' hockey romance book | Sports

As announced on his social media this week, former NHL pest Sean Avery's taking his talents to a new field: hockey romance novels.

dailyhive.com

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

You guys kinda summed it up, but that press conference with Luc made it seem like Blake was just the fall guy, and all decisions were made "as the group", which isn't changing. Robitaille says they felt with exit interviews that they were close to pushing for a cup.

I do think they're are good pieces on the team, but they are soft, and the lack of depth they had been touting all year, was apparently a facade, if they felt this need to condense down to 8 forwards and 4 defense every game.

They got pretty beat up after end of Game 4, regardless of how crushing those endings were. Let's say they won Game 3 or 4, but still play like they did in Games 5&6, they're coming home for Game 7 with all the pressure and they still maybe blow that. Then what's the narrative? The truth is that they got weaker and weaker as the series went on (both in play and mentally weak). I'm not wholely convinced they still pull that series out.

Now we'll also see if maybe Edmonton is just good too. They looked pretty dominant against Vegas as that game went on. It will be hard for you to convince me that the goalie tandem of Pickard and Skinner is a cup-winner, but they keep winning for now.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

I believe Avery is busy. He's working on an adult novel based on hockey.

Ex-NHL goon Sean Avery writes 'sexy and addictive' hockey romance book | Sports

As announced on his social media this week, former NHL pest Sean Avery's taking his talents to a new field: hockey romance novels.

dailyhive.com

He certainly has the resume for that, sloppy seconds and all.

I actually wore my #19 Avery jersey this year at Staples, got some funny looks as well as who was this guy looks.

Love him or hate him, one hell of a hockey player. If he could have just shut his trap and not been a loose cannon I think he would have had a solid overall and longer career as a M6 forward.

Skill, grit and probably what was exactly needed these last few years against Edmo. Wouldn't have put up with the Kane, Nurse and Perry nonsense.