2024-25 Off Season Thread

[CaptHowdy00]

Well, my biggest concern is that this is a lame duck year for Blowby. Unless the next incarceration of the Kings not only gets out of the first round, but has a good showing in the second round (getting swept in four games in the second round is not an improvement) the entire front office, scouting department and all coaches (other than Ranford, he’s a goalie whisperer) should be fired.
And whomever they name the next GM, needs to remove any other remnants of Blowby’s friends, teammates, acquaintances, beer buddies and all assorted other hangers on should be removed ASAP.
This team needs an absolute clean slate.

 

[CaptHowdy00]

Fixing every NHL team's biggest draft errorFixing every NHL team’s biggest draft error: Kucherov to Flames? Bergeron to Kings?

A hypothetical, what-if redraft.

Kings specifically.

Speaking of cross-state rivals, what if in 2003, at No. 27, the Kings had drafted Corey Perry instead of Jeff Tambellini? The Kings had three No. 1 choices in that seminal draft and took Dustin Brown at No. 13 and Brian Boyle at No. 26. Not terrible. With the second of two consecutive picks, they opted for Tambellini, the son of former NHLer Steve. Jeff played 242 NHL games. Perry? He won a Hart Trophy and, this year, made the Stanley Cup Final with his fifth different team, something that had never been done before. Also, the idea of Perry wreaking havoc for the Kings against the cross-town rival Ducks is just too delicious a scenario to imagine. By the way, in that same draft, at No. 44, the Kings selected Konstantin Pushkarev. The next player off the board at No. 45 was future Hall of Famer Bergeron to Boston. Ouch.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Oh geez Pushkarev, I remember LGK going nuts thinking he was going to be Federov 2.0. I believe he was a throw in in the Norstrom to Dallas deal in 2007 or 2008, total bust.

Same thing with Loktionov but I believe somehow that dude got his name on one of the Cups.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Well, my biggest concern is that this is a lame duck year for Blowby. Unless the next incarceration of the Kings not only gets out of the first round, but has a good showing in the second round (getting swept in four games in the second round is not an improvement) the entire front office, scouting department and all coaches (other than Ranford, he’s a goalie whisperer) should be fired.
And whomever they name the next GM, needs to remove any other remnants of Blowby’s friends, teammates, acquaintances, beer buddies and all assorted other hangers on should be removed ASAP.
This team needs an absolute clean slate.

Absolutely has to be a clean slate. Blake has slowly eroded the culture within the organization, and as that presser showed it's clearly apparent (the they can't accept losing theme). All in a short 7 years.

 

[CaptHowdy00]

So let’s start hypothesizing on who the next GM and President should be.
First it absolutely has to be someone outside of the Kings organization.
Second, they have to have front office experience with a successful franchise.
Third, they should have a plan that can be easily and succinctly explained to the fans. With short and long term goals. Saying “the goal is to win the cup” is a cop out because that’s just a line. There need to be concrete plans as to how and over what time frame this could be achieved.

 

[Kings4OT]

So let’s start hypothesizing on who the next GM and President should be.
First it absolutely has to be someone outside of the Kings organization.
Second, they have to have front office experience with a successful franchise.
Third, they should have a plan that can be easily and succinctly explained to the fans. With short and long term goals. Saying “the goal is to win the cup” is a cop out because that’s just a line. There need to be concrete plans as to how and over what time frame this could be achieved.

Me, 5years. The goal is making a team that can skate, play D and stand up when needed. If you draft mostly the best player available Instead of the player you think you need in 3 years, You can more easily move those best player available for or guys in other organizations you want. Fill your team weakness with UFA and above all, manage that cap. Having assets and cap space Can turn you into a winner quickly.

 

[histkng23]

Oh geez Pushkarev, I remember LGK going nuts thinking he was going to be Federov 2.0. I believe he was a throw in in the Norstrom to Dallas deal in 2007 or 2008, total bust.

Same thing with Loktionov but I believe somehow that dude got his name on one of the Cups.

I always rail on this pick, because someone got in Dave Taylor's ear that Detroit was high on Pushkarev, and sounded like Taylor "panicked" and made the pick. Especially when Bergeron, Weber, and Corey Crawford were all chosen within the next 8 picks. The other nominee for "worst pick ever" was Dany Roussin in 2005 at #50. Roussin was an overage, reentry player, but had played the last 2 years of his Junior career as a winger for Crosby, so his numbers were clearly inflated.

Loktionov actually did not get his name engraved on the Cup. Guess he was quite upset about it, because he did appear in a couple games during the St. Louis series when Colin Fraser's wife delivered their baby, and I want to say there was some medical concerns after the delivery. But Loki was pissed because Davis Drewiske did get his name engraved, yet he only played 9 games during the season, and none during the playoffs. While Loki had played 39 regular season games, and 2 in the playoffs. Remember reading that the reasoning was that Drewiske had been with the club the entire season as the 7th Dman, while Loki was only with the club part of the season & as an emergency player during the playoffs.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Thanks for the backstory. I remember Detroit being hot on Pushkarev, amazing how they felt pressured and let at least 4 quality NHLers slip through their hands. Missing out on Bergeron, holy crap - imagine a 1-2 of Kopitar and Bergeron for 15 years, no one would ever be able to score against those two lines.

I knew Roussin would be a bust, it was clear as day he benefitted from playing with Crosby. I'm not sure that guy ever saw NHL ice for any team.

Interesting about Loktionov, I completely thought he got his name on that 2012 Cup. Drewiske was a full blown culture guy, very well liked in the locker room, ultimate teammate. I remember he got boarded hard in a game and all 4 other guys on the ice just charged whoever did it and started throwing blows. I believe he was injured during 2011-12 which is why he only played 9 games. One of Dumbo's better signings who fit the bill to a T and a culture changer. How Blake has missed on this aspect of team building in 7 years is mind boggling.

Clear speculation, but I wonder if Loktionov wasn't held in the same light in the organization and locker room to preclude him from getting his name on it.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Having assets and cap space Can turn you into a winner quickly.

Unless you're Rob Blake, dude had plenty of both just 3 years ago and somehow managed to cap a team out while remaining mediocre. That takes some serious stupid decision making to reach that status so quickly.

I'd just add to your sentence "if the correct management team is in place".

 

[Kings4OT]

I'd just add to your sentence "if the correct management team is in place".

I would be correct management lol....i want a 5y deal!

 

[histkng23]

Interesting about Loktionov, I completely thought he got his name on that 2012 Cup. Drewiske was a full blown culture guy, very well liked in the locker room, ultimate teammate. I remember he got boarded hard in a game and all 4 other guys on the ice just charged whoever did it and started throwing blows. I believe he was injured during 2011-12 which is why he only played 9 games. One of Dumbo's better signings who fit the bill to a T and a culture changer. How Blake has missed on this aspect of team building in 7 years is mind boggling.

Clear speculation, but I wonder if Loktionov wasn't held in the same light in the organization and locker room to preclude him from get his name on it.

I guess only the organization will know the sentiment towards Loki, but if you look at his game log from that season, you can gauge that he wasn't making much of a difference. In the two playoff games he got into, he barely played by his TOI shows.

Andrei Loktionov 2011-12 Game Log | Hockey-Reference.com

Gamelogs for Andrei Loktionov for 2011-12

www.hockey-reference.com

Also, his nonplaying coincided with the trade for Carter. Plus, who knows what he was like in the locker room, and Sutter was probably not much of a fan, was traded to NJ for another 5th at the start of the 2013 shortened season (since the roster was set more or less).

Los Angeles Kings Trade History - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

Los Angeles Kings NHL trade history. Trades can be filtered on players, teams, dates, and events

www.capfriendly.com

 

[histkng23]

Was reading this article on MM, and realized another nugget of information that points to Blake's GM capabilities.... Team went over the cap at some point last season, and was hit with a penalty (maybe someone mentioned this in a previous thread, if so, sorry for the redundancy).

FIRST LOOK: LA Kings 2024-25 Lineup, Salary Cap, and Summer Roster Notes

mayorsmanor.com

 

[PuckinUgly57]

I would be correct management lol....i want a 5y deal!

The way he dishes out contracts you'd get 7 years.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Was reading this article on MM, and realized another nugget of information that points to Blake's GM capabilities.... Team went over the cap at some point last season, and was hit with a penalty (maybe someone mentioned this in a previous thread, if so, sorry for the redundancy).

FIRST LOOK: LA Kings 2024-25 Lineup, Salary Cap, and Summer Roster Notes

mayorsmanor.com

View attachment 365092

Thanks for the link, good read. I still do not see how Buster gets $5.5 million logically speaking, but again its Bowlby and he loves to overpay. I'm not expecting more than $3.5 million tops, he just hasn't earned it yet.

Then again he dished out crap like Petersen so who knows.