OT Coaching story

[CaptHowdy00]

Elliott: Todd McLellan has Rob Blake's support, but is he Terry Murray 2.0 for the Kings?

Kings general manager Rob Blake is still in Todd McLellan's corner, but would the Kings benefit from hiring a new coach to take them to the next level?

www.latimes.com

Column: Todd McLellan has Rob Blake’s support, but is he Terry Murray 2.0 for the Kings?​

A season that began with great expectations dissolved into a struggle to stay afloat as the Kings hit the halfway mark. They had more reason to look nervously in the rear-view mirror at the teams gaining on them than to look optimistically ahead toward the top of the Pacific Division, which is where they thought they’d be after they acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois and his eight-year, $68 million contract in an effort to counter their rivals’ superior depth and size.

General manager Rob Blake’s answer to the 1-6-4 slump that left the Kings with a record of 21-13-8 and 50 points after their first 42 games was to say the team must go back to its defensive foundation, even though defense is a pronounced weakness for creative but careless winger Kevin Fiala and for Dubois, who had scored a paltry nine goals and 19 points at the halfway point and is often clueless when he doesn’t have the puck.
Speaking to the media Thursday morning, before the Kings launched the second half of their season by losing 2-1 to Nashvilleand falling into the second wild-card spot, Blake also said the team must execute more precisely on offense while adhering more closely to its defense-first system. It didn’t seem to matter to Blake that opponents have dissected and shredded that system on a disturbingly regular basis, or that coach Todd McLellan hasn’t made effective counter-adjustments.

No, McLellan got a vote of confidence from Blake, who gave the coach a contract extension last summer that put both on the payroll through 2024-25. Blake said Thursday he hadn’t been considering a coaching change. If that’s true — and Blake is known for fierce loyalty to his friends — then he hasn’t explored every option to turn the team around.
“No, not at all,” Blake said. “Our philosophy here in the past three, four years is on the structure and the system and the design, in the buy-in of players, and he’s gotten that from the players. I’m going to rely on the players and the leadership to get us out of that.”

McLellan might have taken the Kings as far as he can, which isn’t the same as taking them as far as they’re capable of going. His tenure brings to mind Terry Murray’s success in giving the Kings a solid defensive foundation but failing to find ways to generate scoring, which led to Murray being fired and replaced by Darryl Sutter in December 2011. The rest was Kings history, with Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014, but even Sutter’s gruff messaging eventually wore thin.
Blake said McLellan had done a good job installing structure, a system and defending, “and I would say the last little bit it’s gotten a little away from us and we have to get that back as a staple of the game.” This version of the Kings lacks the goaltending, finishing, and feistiness the Cup-winning teams had. But the NHL is different now, featuring more speed and less grinding, and finishing is key.
“We’re obviously at a critical stage right now, I think, in our season,” McLellan said. “Not just [Thursday’s] game but this phase as we head towards the All-Star break is really important that we get things going the right way.”

In analyzing why the Kings won only one of six games on their recent trip, Blake noted several instances when they generated three-on-two and two-on-one advantages but couldn’t capitalize. “The execution part, the finishing part, has dipped in the last 10 games,” he said. “There’s two sides. You drop a little there and you drop on the defensive side that is a structure of this team, then, as a whole, you’re down in those games.”
They’ll have to rebound without buzzsaw fourth-line center Blake Lizotte, who was placed on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury and is week to week. He’s not likely to return until after next month’s All-Star break. Also, team captain Anze Kopitar is playing hurt, as evidenced by the decline of his faceoff skills and usual pinpoint passing. The 36-year-old Slovenian is averaging about 19 and a half minutes’ ice time per game, near his career low. Kopitar’s compromised status hurts the Kings up the middle, where Phillip Danault has excelled but Dubois has let them down.
“He’s not 100 percent every night, but like I said, not all guys are,” McLellan said of Kopitar. “And you’ve got to be able to, with what you have, be as productive as possible.”
On a positive note, winger Viktor Arvidsson, who has yet to play this season because of a back injury he suffered during training camp, has begun skating in a red, no-contact jersey. He might be able to practice with the team in two to three weeks but is a long way from playing.

The return of Arvidsson, who scored 26 goals last season, would be the equivalent of a trade for the Kings before the March 8 deadline. They have little salary cap space to actually add an impact scorer. “We miss him in our lineup. He’s a goal scorer with a lot of energy for us,” Blake said.
The Kings will continue a four-game homestand Saturday with a visit from the New York Rangers and the first return to Crypto.com Arena of goalie Jonathan Quick, whom Blake traded to Columbus last March. Quick, unhappy at the abruptness of the trade, got fine consolation after he was traded to Vegas and won the Cup with the Golden Knights last season. He has been surprisingly effective for the Rangers, who lead the Metropolitan Division.
Blake wouldn’t go into depth when asked to reflect on how the trade played out. “He should be remembered this weekend for [being] the best goalie in our organization and celebrated that way,” Blake said.
Celebrate Quick and those memories because they’ll have to carry fans for a while longer.
Blake said he recently told current players they knew they’d have salary cap and roster issues this season, “but it’s this group that will pull out of it.” This coach, too? McLellan has to prove he can lead them to higher heights, or the end-of-season review could be conducted by a new coach and new general manager.

 

[Kings4OT]

He needs to go. Hes had his chance with SJ, EDM and now LA.....in every instance he is predictable and hard headed. The games vs SJ and Buff are great examples. He cant get out of his own way, the Dunno line was -11 and still out as a group. PLD punished because his linemates fucked up even tho he made plays. Really the way he has handled the whole PLD thing since the beginning should get him gired on its own. A huge trade that everyone fans and experts say LA got raped on and instead of even attempting to make it work. He gets little chance and is blamed for the Kings losses? BS, the dude wasnt responsible for the wins or the losses...he just tried to be a 3rdc...only roll hes been given. Not many 3rd line people have been the driving force of teams. Todd the god rolls out the same lines and style over and over until the games decided and minimal time left to change any outcome. The ammount of 2g leads given up is alarming. I find it hard for the players to be blamed if the coach makes zero adjustments....if its up to the players, can they just do what they want?

 

[Kings4OT]

I run crewse of plumbers comma pipe fitters and welders etc....from 3 or 5 to 100s I'm very successful at it. Not because I do everything myself Or rely on one or two guys. I watch what my crews are doing, I see what guys are doing what.... I make adjustments, I moved guys around to doing what seems more natural for them. I demand a lot from them, And I take out road blocks that are in their way. In the end they have to do the work..... But it's my job to make sure they have the ability to do so. That's exactly what a coach should be doing., Set your team up for success, not excuses.

 

[CaptHowdy00]

And another one.

The heat is on Todd McLellan and the Kings after brutal loss to SabresThe heat is on Todd McLellan and L.A. Kings after brutal loss, ‘stupid hockey’ vs. Sabres

LOS ANGELES — Todd McLellan figures his Thursday morning will be just like any other. He’ll watch the prior evening’s game again with his staff. There will be a formal team meeting or informal session between groups or individuals. An on-ice workout. All done in a condensed nature before the Los Angeles Kings board their flight for Denver where they’ll take on Hart Trophy candidate Nathan MacKinnonand the Colorado Avalanche.
The question is, will McLellan have a seat on the airplane? The other question is, if he does, should he?

Those questions became more pertinent after the blunder-filled Kings let a 3-1 first-period lead squirrel away Wednesday night in a 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, an equally underachieving outfit that was coming off a desultory loss at Anaheim just one night earlier. It’s 12 losses in 14 games for Los Angeles, which is how Anže Kopitar looked at it even with the five added “pity points” they picked up for getting to overtime during this toxic spill.

Things came to a head for a team that’s fallen by the wayside in numerous areas over the past month and now finds itself trying to keep its precarious hold on a wild-card spot instead of chasing down Vancouver and Vegas in the Pacific Division, as it had been when it got to 16-4-3. Edmonton, which has won 14 in a row, has overtaken the Kings after its horrible start.

The Oilers cut loose coach Jay Woodcroft for Kris Knoblauch, who has gone 24-6-0 since taking over Nov. 12. St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong axed its Stanley Cup winner in Craig Berube. New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello recently replaced Lane Lambert with Patrick Roy. Meanwhile, Kings GM Rob Blake is thus far standing by the 56-year-old McLellan, giving him a vote of confidence last week as the team dropped its ninth of 10 — a run that included an 0-4-4 winless streak.

Blake addressed McLellan’s status as Los Angeles kicked off an important four-game homestand. Just one win over the New York Rangers was recorded. Wrapped around it were losses to Nashville, San Jose and now Buffalo, not exactly your murderers’ row of teams. Where McLellan’s seat was quite cool as the Kings had largely lived up to heightened expectations over the first three months, it’s now at ever-increasing heat with the chance to become scorching hot.
“Well, that’s a very fair question,” said McLellan, responding to a question from The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein about concern over his job security. “If I were sitting in your seat and you were standing here, I’d ask you that. I’m responsible for this. And when you look at the team that played the first 25-30 games if you will, it doesn’t look like the team that’s playing right now and I’m responsible for it. Our staff is doing what we can or what we believe we can to get them to turn it around. We’re trying different things at different times.

“I’m going to keep pushing away. I’m going to try and push buttons. Poke people. Praise people. Look at how we do things. Our underlying numbers say we’re more the first-half team than the second-half team. But the win column doesn’t say that and that’s all that matters. It’s a very fair question.”

Blake and his staff kept any emotions to themselves as they walked into the bowels of Crypto.com Arena, where the Kings’ dreadful 8-9-6 home record is among the disappointing elements of a season threatening to get away from them. Not far away in the Kings’ locker room, the team’s two championship-winning bookends showed that a heartbeat does exist within their buttoned-down corridors.
“I think we’ve got guys in this room that are too worried about themselves and worried about their points and worried about stuff like that,” Drew Doughty said as he began a call-out session with reporters. “We’ve got a 3-1 lead tonight and guys start thinking it’s a cookie night. And we stopped playing the way we know how to play. Have an awful second period and aren’t much better in the third.

“It’s about the team. It’s not about yourself. And a lot of guys on this team need to realize that.”

Kopitar, who had one of the three goals on the first six shots put on Buffalo goalie Devon Levi, said, “What I’m seeing is we’re not playing as a team right now.”
“We’re worried about scoring goals too much and not buying into the stuff that made us successful the first 30, 35 games of the year,” he continued. “And it’s frustrating. We’re going to have to correct it and we’re going to have to correct it in a hurry.”

There are multiple issues at work. PL Dubois scored a power-play goal Wednesday, but that only got him to double figures. His overall play was no more inspiring than his many other quiet nights, even if McLellan has alternately served up criticism and praise to get him going. The depth scoring throughout the lineup that powered the team early on has dried to a crisp. Cam Talbot has dipped from the All-Star level he was playing at after allowing five goals in his third straight start.

Wednesday’s loss contained specific instances in which Kings turnovers in the opposing end (Alex Laferriere) and their own end (Kevin Fiala) helped fuel the Sabres’ high-pressure, high-event attack. They didn’t defend the neutral zone very well and gave up several quality scoring chances. Fiala and Trevor Moore were on the ice for four goals against and their center Phillip Danault was on for three.

While Levi stopped the remaining 31 shots he faced in a 37-save effort, Talbot couldn’t hold off the Sabres after allowing a rebound goal to JJ Peterka in the first. Peterka beat him again on a breakaway induced by the Laferriere turnover and Alex Tuch scored the eventual game winner from in close after Fiala’s miscue gave Buffalo zone time. Jack Quinn and Dylan Cozensbeat Talbot from distance.

Talbot, who hadn’t played in eight days, isn’t giving them enough stops. But the Kings are a disjointed team now, not devoted to their systematic defense-first supportive checking game as they had been. Maybe the recent offensive struggles played into it, as McLellan highlighted in a sharp critique.
“I would call that stupid hockey,” McLellan said. “Look, we’ve struggled to score goals. I think that’s evident. And all of a sudden you get three in the first couple of minutes and everybody thinks they’re coming out of their individual scoring slumps. Guess what? Suck on that at the end of the night. That’s how it went.

“But we weren’t playing that way when we were winning. So, have we become selfish? Have we become self-driven? Have we gone into our own individual shells and self-preservation? I’m not sure. But it shouldn’t be that way.”

On Wednesday, McLellan sounded like a coach searching for answers. Afterward, the team’s two foremost player voices didn’t blame their fifth-year boss or his assistants for their shocking reversal of fortune.

“It’s not about the coaching staff,” Doughty said. “It’s about the players. I think the coaches on our team have done a great job. They always inform us with every single situation possible. They prepare us perfectly. It’s not about them. It’s all about the players in here.

“No matter what they do, if we don’t perform on the ice, we ain’t going to get wins. We all know that in here. If anyone’s questioning that, that’s probably why we’re losing games, if people are questioning them.”

Said Kopitar: “I mean, it comes down to this room. They give us the plan. They give us the structure. They give us the motivation or the kick in the ass. It is what it is. It’s about the guys that have to bring it out on the ice and make things happen.”

When relayed to him that Doughty and Kopitar were taking ownership of the team’s extended struggles, McLellan said, “I think they’re being noble. The two of them shouldn’t take the blame.”

“That’s on everybody,” he continued. “That’s on the guy wearing the suit behind the bench and that’s on the 20 others that put the equipment on. It’s not just 11 and 8 because they wear letters. That’s unacceptable.
“We’re up 3-1. We’re maybe not playing our best. But the stupidity that went into that loss is beyond explainable. I could come up here and tell you that, hey, in the past we’ve been close. Maybe we didn’t get some luck around the net. But I haven’t until now been able to come in and say, ‘Boy, we played really dumb.’ And that’s what we did.”

The Kings have plummeted to a point where they’re only a few points above Nashville, Arizona, St. Louis, Seattle, Calgary and Minnesota — a collection of mid teams either punching above their weight or stuck in the area of being not good enough but too talented to be “bad.” Blake has invested too much salary and capital in this group — it should be a clear level above.

Instead, this month-long funk has erased any comfortable point cushion it had and put them in must-win mode just to make the postseason.

“I don’t know what else to say,” Doughty said. “We’re down at the bottom. We continuously say it’s a must-win game, must-win game and we’re not getting the job done. And it’s frustrating. We need to turn around right now or else we’re completely screwed.

“And if you want to win one game, lose one game and keep going like that, we’re going to barely squeak in the playoffs and we’re going to do no damage in the playoffs. We need to wake up now.”

McLellan added: “For me, the disappointing part is why isn’t every game a must-win game. We don’t get to give ourselves permission just because we had a nice little cushion. Hey, we can get bad for two weeks — it doesn’t work that way. The league is too good. But they are correct in saying that. We got to dig in. We can’t whatever away more points. We just can’t.”

 

[CaptHowdy00]

There have been meetings. Lots, which McLellan said have occurred with individual players, entire lines or the complete group. “But we’ve also had those when we were winning,” the coach insisted. Doughty said he’s spoken up in the locker room but added that he hasn’t been the only one. He welcomes that as he’s been worried that his loud voice might get tuned out.
“Sometimes when you talk a lot like me, it’s hard to get through to guys,” Doughty said. “I still try to do my best.”

They’ve got three road games to make a stand and stop their slide. Maybe it’s a blessing given how they’ve been much better away from L.A., at least up until their last trip. The start of it won’t be easy as MacKinnon is on another planet right now with a four-point day Saturday and a four-goal game Wednesday.

What they’re banking on is this disturbing come-from-ahead loss being the lowest point. “Let’s hope so,” Kopitar said.
“Honestly, it’s felt like the bottom out for a while now,” Doughty said. “It’s frustrating not getting these wins. We’re trying to stay positive. We’re trying to get back to having fun out there and (playing) our game. It’s hard to do that when you’re on a streak like this.

“This has been a struggle for us. The only way we’re going to get out of it is if we get everybody’s 100 percent effort and everyone playing for the team, for each other.”
If they don’t, the demand for change will grow louder. And with a capped-out team eventually needing to create space for the return of Viktor Arvidsson, the chances are remote that a major trade can be executed to shake up the lineup. The heat is squarely on McLellan and Blake changing course if the Kings can’t break free from their descent.

 

[CaptHowdy00]

I had to split it, because there were more than 12k words.
Anyways, generally I’m not the “Fire The Coach” type of guy because ultimately the players play the game.
But, I think it’s time to clean house.
Flake and McLellan need to go. I’ve never been a fan of Flake when he got involved with the Kings’ front office, because I still can’t forgive him for jumping to the Crapalanche.
He’s a crappy GM and can’t draft worth a damn or pick a coach.
Unfortunately, Luc is tied to this mess too, I’m just not sure how much, but he’s still Luuuuuuuuc in my book and my all time favorite hockey player. But this team has done nothing since the Coup and it’s high time to bring in new blood. McLellan Should be fired now and if the Kings still can’t turn it around the way they did in 2012, it’s time for Blake to hit the road too.
Next people in charge should be all from outside the organization, none should be a “friend” buddy or former roommate of the GM.
They don’t have the cap space to sign the one position that they absolutely need and that’s a goalie. Yes Quick might have been in decline but at this point he’s would have been a better option than what the Kings have now, during this slide.

 

[Kings4OT]

In every interview they basically blame PLD.

“I would call that stupid hockey,” McLellan said. “Look, we’ve struggled to score goals. I think that’s evident. And all of a sudden you get three in the first couple of minutes and everybody thinks they’re coming out of their individual scoring slumps. Guess what? Suck on that at the end of the night. That’s how it went."

He goes on to say its not Kopitar, so who Kempe? Nope....only other goal was PLD who ended with almost no play time. I know a lot of you are down on this guy but hes been miss treated on the ice since day 1. He got to jump on the ice as PP 3 guy and got a goal. Kings had 6pp and he had 59sec. Total pp. He made some great passes that his linemates blew, he wins a FO in ozone, laffer fucks it up and in net at other end. PLD finished with a whopping 11min of ice time. Everyone wants him to take over a game like hes McJesus even tho his linemates (one was a healthy scratch JAD all season swapped in for the next disappointment going to be sent packing in Kaliyev) and laffer, someone that nobody thought would be on pro club


I have still yet to hear who on what team PLD should be like as a 3rd C that takes over a game...someone give me 1 name ANYONE. The daily barrage on this guy when as a 3rdC he done what he supposed to. He draws penalties, hes made some hits, made some plays, imo done what his position on the ice dictates. ...is that worth 8.5, hell no....but that wasnt his choice playing him like that. The ONLY game i saw him start line 1 was SJ, guess what...18 SOG 1st period by the team. By end of game lines back to Todds normal.

Todd saying theyve tried things? What, only the last couple minutes when they are scrambling to catch up do you see anything different but its usually just L1 and L2 just swapping around. PLD now has more G than Dunno with 100 less minutes played but he gets a pass because TOTM has been scoring a ton on the rush.

 

[Kings4OT]

And yes im gonna kick this dead horse umtil he gets a fair shot ....then if he sucks ok, but if im him i eould be getting red assed and say fuck it snd collect my money. When winning he isnt getting enough points, when losing hes selfish trying to get points....dudes been blamed for everything and not really had a shot....

 

[PuckinUgly57]

I agree 100% with you. You aquire a player like him and then put him as C3, he isn't exactly going to light it up especially paired with the JADs, Laferrieres and Kaliyevs of the world.

I think next season is when we will see him elevated as Kopitar regresses a bit as does Dunno but keeping that in mind I don't think it's fair for him to get blasted constantly when he hasn't been put in a situation to succeed.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

That first paragraph itself is damning.

The Los Angeles Kings are getting itchy

They’ve won only two of their last 14 and are starting to face questions about their coach's future

deadspin.com

 

[Kings4OT]

That first paragraph itself is damning.

The Los Angeles Kings are getting itchy

They’ve won only two of their last 14 and are starting to face questions about their coach's future

deadspin.com

I find it offensive that now its ok to point out some actual problems instead of blaming 1 guy.

But the reality in my mind there is 1 guy to blame and thats Todd the god. All those problems and NEVER once has he tried to address them, thats fucking insanity....literally. its difficult for me to judge the roster because of that single issue. I get you can see crappy players as they play, but move them around...team them up with other players, change some game responsibilities.....these are all coaching tools that need to be utilized. When that shit dont work, goto Blake and tell him who to dump and what to get.....

 

[CaptHowdy00]

Yeah, blaming PLD is kind of a low hanging fruit. But at the same time, this is Flake’s mess so he needs to clean it up.
I still believe getting PLD over a decent goalie was a mistake.
But now that he’s here, they need to figure out how to get him going. Put him on 1L, move Kopi down to 2L and Dunno to 3L. Buster can center 4L for now.
It’s inexcusable to spend that kind of money on a player and not have him scoring.