GM-Blake Appreciation Thread + Oilers Jab.

[HeadInjury]

Blake has a better win-loss percentage than DL in terms of moves he's made. DL made a lot of blunders over the years. We tend to focus on events after the second cup, but there were many before then. The point is that errors are an unavoidable part of being a GM.

Blake is riding high at the moment, but he's one Talbot injury away from being in a mess of his own creation.

In the end, it's about winning playoff rounds and DL had three seasons with a total of 10 rounds won and Blake has zero so far. So he's been pretty good for a first time GM who inherited a depleted farm system, but there's really nothing to show for that yet.

 

[hokiecat]

Blake survived his two biggest errors, the first of which was his first hire as a coach Willie D. That combined with signing Kovalchuk was a far cry from the moves he's made since. Take the executive he was at that time and then compare what he navigated through this past summer.

Gabe Vilardi needs a deal, and Blake has no cap room, at this point he'd used it all on Gavrikov. Gabes eventual deal at 3.4 million is enough that to do it Blake is trading AI off the roster just to keep Gabe. Staring that in the face, having another RFA in Kupari who is an either or prop with Lizotte and JAD, and knowing he has a logjam on the right side of his D he's got a unique conundrum. If he wants to shake loose cap room and alleviate the log jam his only trade chit with value is Roy who's got one more year at 3.5 million. But Roy just had a pretty great year and looked good with your resigned trade deadline target (Gavrikov). And again it's trading within himself to shed assets for futures just to keep the same cast. Now he hears PLD might be available but its going to cost assets. Blake has assets. Not only does he have assets he needs to move some of them. It takes some finagling but getting Durzi off gets him extra cap room and the second. Kupari, AI and Vilardi get the Jets what they want in terms of roster and replacing production.

Its a huge bet to bring in an 8 year guy, first time a true sign and trade for max years has been pulled off. Blakes all in and for better or worse he knows he's set the direction for the franchise for the next 3 years. Its the best way to build job security to have an undoable plan. Now we just have to hope it all works.

This doesn't even make sense. Iafallo at 4, Gabe at 3.4, Kupari at 1 = 8.4 which is < 8.5 million for PLD.
Blake has done a nice job building the roster but he gave up a ton of assets to fit everything under the cap including firesale on Durzi and giving up picks all over the place to shed salary.

 

[JayWells24]

Jack Campbell was first domino to fall. I doubt they get any takers on his 5 yr/$25M contract.

Woodcroft may be next.......

 

[jammer06]

This doesn't even make sense. Iafallo at 4, Gabe at 3.4, Kupari at 1 = 8.4 which is < 8.5 million for PLD.
Blake has done a nice job building the roster but he gave up a ton of assets to fit everything under the cap including firesale on Durzi and giving up picks all over the place to shed salary.

How does that not make sense, add 2.2 for Durzi, remember Kuparis 1.0 is debatable roster money since it's either him or lizottes spot (or jad) and he's barely cleared it by 1 million

 

[DarkLeftHand]

Blake has a better win-loss percentage than DL in terms of moves he's made. DL made a lot of blunders over the years. We tend to focus on events after the second cup, but there were many before then. The point is that errors are an unavoidable part of being a GM.

Blake is riding high at the moment, but he's one Talbot injury away from being in a mess of his own creation.

In the end, it's about winning playoff rounds and DL had three seasons with a total of 10 rounds won and Blake has zero so far. So he's been pretty good for a first time GM who inherited a depleted farm system, but there's really nothing to show for that yet.

Isn’t any GM in the NHL essentially one injury of a starting goaltender away from being in a difficult spot?

 

[empire]

"The only thing better than the Kings doing well is watching the Oilers implode."

Well said, Best thing on TV.

GO KINGS

​

 

[STONE]

I love this team. I sense a brotherhood that the AUS trip helped put into hyperdrive. I don't sense ego, a brotherhood killer, from anyone, and they're friggin' good. So brotherhood + hard work + belief = SUCCESS. Something the ego-laden Oilers will never know, unless they address character, which they could give two sh*ts about, emphasized by the signing of Kane.

Oilers will not recover from this, I predict.

The Kings will do serious damage all year.

Go Kings Go!

 

[hokiecat]

How does that not make sense, add 2.2 for Durzi, remember Kuparis 1.0 is debatable roster money since it's either him or lizottes spot (or jad) and he's barely cleared it by 1 million

OK it makes sense with the explanation and a re-reading. I think you see it as a well-orchestrated move while I see it as pushing in all of the chips for a gamble on PLD and being hamstrung to do what it took to extend Gavrikov. So far so good for Blake though. The early returns are very promising.

Oilers Sharks tomorrow will be an interesting battle of the basement. I'd love to see a Sharks W so both teams are tied with 5 points.

 

[Clif]

Durzi was only a 1.7M cap hit, but he’s going to get a big pay increase next year. This was the right time to trade him but it still feels forced to include the high 2nd rounder Blake got for him to get PLD. There were very few options for WPG and it’s weird to think that pick was really what tipped the balance.

 

[ICE24]

I'm not a large fan of celebrating anyone with 71 games left in the season.

 

[symbology]

I'm not a large fan of celebrating anyone with 71 games left in the season.

Who invited Debbie Downer.......

Gotta enjoy it while we got it.

 

[symbology]

Durzi was only a 1.7M cap hit, but he’s going to get a big pay increase next year. This was the right time to trade him but it still feels forced to include the high 2nd rounder Blake got for him to get PLD. There were very few options for WPG and it’s weird to think that pick was really what tipped the balance.

Yeah, I think Blake could held back that 2nd round pick. Although, hindsight and all that jazz.

 

[jom]

There's a reason Detroit dumped Holland for Yzerman as GM. Yzerman is more patient and makes smarter decisions compared to Holland who seems to love making front-loaded contracts with certain players and eventually get burned for them. Hopefully RB won't fall into the trap that Holland did with his management of his teams.

I hope that you are referring to Ken Holland more recently because KH won FOUR Stanley Cups in Detroit. Key word there "FOUR". I also think Detroit didn't dump Holland. I think he just wanted to go somewhere else....but whatever...I think the failure in EDM is more about EDM than anything. Didn't Boston GM Peter Chiarelli fail there also? He won a Cup in Boston.

Whatever the case, it's fun to watch EDM continue to fail...

jom

 

[jammer06]

OK it makes sense with the explanation and a re-reading. I think you see it as a well-orchestrated move while I see it as pushing in all of the chips for a gamble on PLD and being hamstrung to do what it took to extend Gavrikov. So far so good for Blake though. The early returns are very promising.

Oilers Sharks tomorrow will be an interesting battle of the basement. I'd love to see a Sharks W so both teams are tied with 5 points.

It's not that it was a well orchestrated move, it's more of thinking really big instead of in a series of 1 for 1 moves. When I brought up the early mistakes, it showed how Blake wasn't putting moves together. I mean hiring Willie and adding an outsider like kovalchuk I think it's clear that Blake is now really looking at the ramifications of his moves. Back then it reeked of here's a coach but also we want one timers on the pp so use this guy. Not well thought out.

 

[JC6388LAKings]

I hope that you are referring to Ken Holland more recently because KH won FOUR Stanley Cups in Detroit. Key word there "FOUR". I also think Detroit didn't dump Holland. I think he just wanted to go somewhere else....but whatever...I think the failure in EDM is more about EDM than anything. Didn't Boston GM Peter Chiarelli fail there also? He won a Cup in Boston.

Whatever the case, it's fun to watch EDM continue to fail...

jom

I do acknowledge Holland's accomplishments with Detroit back then. And yes, I'm actually referring to later-era Holland who began to hamstring his teams by handing out bloated contracts to certain players and mismanaging the situations his teams were in when he thought he could go all in building his teams for the playoffs only to get reamed for it. And yeah, Chiarelli indeed won a Cup in Boston, but eventually he started falling into the same trap that Holland did as the years have gone by.

But yeah, EDM is now caught between a rock and a hard place and DET in the Yzerman-as-GM-era seems to be looking good this season after inheriting the mess that Holland created after his departure. DET still had rough seasons they had to endure under Yzerman's watch until this season where they're currently in the running for the lead in the Atlantic Division.

 

[Riofan]

 

[Riofan]

I hope that you are referring to Ken Holland more recently because KH won FOUR Stanley Cups in Detroit. Key word there "FOUR".

Whatever the case, it's fun to watch EDM continue to fail...

jom

Much harder to do in the Cap Era.

Still great to see EDM struggle after forcing the league to change the draft rules.

 

[VCRW]

Yeah, I think Blake could held back that 2nd round pick. Although, hindsight and all that jazz.

As I understood the deal with Winnipeg, it was Kupari that was added as the sweetener, not the draft pick.

 

[Clif]

As I understood the deal with Winnipeg, it was Kupari that was added as the sweetener, not the draft pick.

Oh wow - that makes more sense and I feel better for it. Because that was a good pick.

 

[JC6388LAKings]

Just recently, EDM (2) lost to SJ (3) in regulation. I've noticed that McOverrated hasn't scored a goal in 7 straight games lately. Wow, is he ever getting snakebitten. His struggles are the other opponents' gains. Loving it.