Thread: Kovalchuk Part VI-The Return of Lombardi?-UPDATE IK A Devil again thread in NHL TALK

Originally Posted by CBGB

Things just got a little... no, a LOT more interesting this morning - stay tuned

*yawn*

I tell you one thing. DB is an absolute master at this whole Twitter "Bucket O' Stupid" string-along-the suckers thing.

My Kovalchuk #16 jersey hangs in my closet next to my DB-fueled Lindros #88.

Originally Posted by anjae11eden

It's like this. You have a GM (DL) who has preached "TEAM" and "Kings tattoo on arses" for his entire tenure. Then you get a highly skilled player who has been RUMORED to want to play here and is offered around 80 mill to do so and then CHOOSES to play elsewhere for 100 or so mill. A business decision for sure, but clearly not an "I want to be a King" decision either.
Now if DL pursues this guy, doesn't it make him somewhat of a hypocrite? If he's been wanting players with a "King's tattoo" and not a platinum diamond encrusted money clip on their arse? What is this saying to Doughty, Johnson, and Simmonds?
Maybe it's more personal TO ME than it is anyone else. A business decision is still a decision and should be stuck to IMO. If your girl leaves you because she is screwing someone else, or another guy can financially support her better, or she loves you but she's not "in love" with you, she still left you. Taking her back makes you a sucker IMHO.

as soon as you equate this to your girl screwing someone else, you've lost all of your objectivity (unless, of course, you are into that thing! haha).

Kovalchuk is NOT the King's "girl". he doesn't have a Kings Tattoo on his butt. He's a UFA that has never played here. to equate it to a girlfriend or a wife is nowhere near the right metaphor, and that comparison is what makes me think you are way too emotionally involved. DL has obviously moved onto his next stage of team development where it isn't about getting the tattoo first. If DL has moved on, why can't you?

Kompon gave me the best answer: You build the core of your team, build around a team philosophy then you hope that the core will hold strong through any additions, especially one as big as Kovy, who, with a massive contract and potential Prima Donna status, could derail a team very quickly if he has the wrong attitude.

And this is why DL has been focused on getting guys with warrior and winning mentalities around the initial core of guys. And why people like Smyth, Zus, Williams, Greene, Stoll are so valuable to have on the team. So they could go after a guy like Kovy and feel confident that he'll fit into a strong team identity.

This is stickied at the top of the page...

Please do not create new threads posting unsubstantiated or unverified rumors about player transactions.

Originally Posted by Mateo

This is stickied at the top of the page...

Nice, a blogger skirmish!

Originally Posted by Goallum

Nice, a blogger skirmish!

A blogmish!

Originally Posted by santiclaws

Kovy is not a girl and I'm hoping that Lombardi does not intend to **** him. This is a good potential employee who is taking another offer for a LOT more money. You shrug and say "good luck." If he comes back a few days later and says "the other offer was pulled" you don't act butthurt because he rejected you precisely because it is business and not personal, and if he's still the best candidate for the job, you hire him. You're making it out to be COMPLETELY personal.

So it's "personal" if someone makes a decision and you want them to stick with it? To me, personal has a "you wronged me and now I'm bitter" tone to it. I believe like you that you shrug and say good luck. We just differ on what we say 2 days later when the come back. I want them to stick with their decision. Course I also differ on whether they were the "right one" for the job in the first place.

Originally Posted by santiclaws

But the fact that he went somewhere else because they offered him a ****load of money does not negatively impact my opinion of him. I'd think him pretty stupid if he did not take Jersey's offer.

This is another area where my opinion will differ from most (except for maybe JT after reading his post). I believe that 80 mil and 100 mil are both filthy effin rich and will make me set for LIFE so I would have no problem taking less to play where I wanted to play. Didn't Hamhuis just do the same thing? The idea can't be THAT out in left field. But this is also coming from a guy that makes a tiny fraction of what these guys make and took a 50% paycut to do a job that would give me "a sense of reward and accomplishment". If IK taking 80 mil makes him stupid...I'd hate know what you'd think of me. lol

Originally Posted by shoot2scor

Lombardi, on Ponikarovsky LA Kings Insider

read that interview and see if you still think I am in fantasyland. Poni was plan B to Frolov.

Your comment is 100% accurate up until the point that Kovy signed, that is why I said "in part" because before Kovy signed, DL had no intentions with Fro.

After Kovy signed, DL kicked the tires and got a big FU from Fro.

I read that interview then, and I still stand by my statement.

My perception of the things that went down during the season is that they were pushing Fro so he would WANT to leave, thus unburdening themselves of the publicity of them "dumping" him. DL's comments just furthered that PR stance.

Was it fair? Probably not. But Fro's play had become more and more erratic, to the point that I (a long time Fro supporter) was completely frustrated with him. He was done as a King when he was disiplined in December(?) and he mdidn't respond adequately (IMO).

Isnt this the point in the plot where Brian Burke swoops in blue tights and Kovalchuk signs with Toronto for 2 million a year?

Originally Posted by nosoupforyou

Kompon gave me the best answer: You build the core of your team, build around a team philosophy then you hope that the core will hold strong through any additions, especially one as big as Kovy, who, with a massive contract and potential Prima Donna status, could derail a team very quickly if he has the wrong attitude.

The scary thing about this quote is last year both DL and Hexy were extremely wary of Heater due to the fact that they didn't think that the core owned the locker room enough to handle him coming in (granted he would have been a trade). This summer though he's confident enough to go out after a semi-prima donna. Last year he went after Hossa it's true but he's never been considered a locker room cancer (Gaboriks groin might have been, but thats a different arguement).