Rob Blake is out.

[hokiecat]

Mike Richard’s’ contract was inherited from Philadelphia. Mike never signed a contract with the Kings. Don’t understand why that misunderstanding persists.

Well, he could have been bought out for nothing but the money. But Dean flew out and visited Mikey over the summer and was convinced the Richards was worth keeping. Dean got duped and we'll be paying Richards until 2032 after Dean did him dirty with the "icky" allegations.

BTW, what is with the fascination with bringing back ex-Kings for the GM job? I'd love to absolutely clean house. Winning franchises don't just have alums in the front office. Development coaches are the best players for the job, not fan favorites. The front office is staffed with visionaries and peers, not surfing buddies.

 

[Bill Hicks]

Futa said on the radio today that Rob had an extension on the table and could have stayed, but just wanted out of the grind to be a family guy now. Characterized it as genuinely a mutual parting of ways, not a firing, per se.

He also mentioned very coyly, and I may have been reading too much into it, but he said he knew nothing about Hiller and wouldn't comment further on that hire if he were theoretically to become the GM. Maybe he was just being politically correct, but he wouldn't touch the topic. The rest of the interview was him gushing about how much he enjoyed his tenure here, and how connected to the organization he felt, going back the Kopi / Doughty / Kempe drafts. He said his first real feeling of professional accomplishment was drafting Simmonds and how he (paraphrasing) felt emboldened moving forward evaluating other players. Mentioned Trevor Lewis, Brayden Schenn, Kyle Clifford, Tyler Toffoli, specifically, and talked about the other staff he worked with whose names I didn't recognize. But his earnest interest in the position was palpable.

Players want to play for a chance at winning. We are not that.
Last 10 years this is our playoff record:

2015 - missed
2016 - 1-4
2017 - missed
2018 - 0-4
2019 - missed
2020 - missed
2021 - missed
2022 - 3-4
2023 - 2-4
2024 - 1-4
2025 - 2-4

9 wins
24 losses

 

[VCRW]

Well, he could have been bought out for nothing but the money. But Dean flew out and visited Mikey over the summer and was convinced the Richards was worth keeping. Dean got duped and we'll be paying Richards until 2032 after Dean did him dirty with the "icky" allegations.

BTW, what is with the fascination with bringing back ex-Kings for the GM job? I'd love to absolutely clean house. Winning franchises don't just have alums in the front office. Development coaches are the best players for the job, not fan favorites. The front office is staffed with visionaries and peers, not surfing buddies.

The Richard’s story wasn’t quite that simple, but we all know the results.

 

[Statue4Deano]

This. Thanks for saving me a lengthy post. I have very little time at work for it and you hit all my points. Blake...who without a doubt went through some trial and error in his 8 year tenure...put together a very good team this year. All the straight up HATE confounds me a bit.

The other thing that has been on my mind is not only how do we find an effective replacement....but how do we establish an even REMOTELY attractive culture to the kind of superstars the team has consistently lacked (i.e. Rantanen) and who inevitably will continue to pass on playing in LA (i.e. Marner...and no...there is no chance he signs here either.) No one wants to play here. Why is that do you suppose? (Most of you will reply with state taxes and then realize how many top tier free agents the Rangers and Devils have attracted over the years.) Something is wrong with this picture. Can it be fixed with a new GM and coach? (The four first round exits certainly don't make the Kings any sexier either.)

Play style is unquestionably a turn-off. Why would a player who enjoys up and down offensive hockey like Rantanen or Marner come to LA where stats go to die? The Kings have had two 80 point seasons and one 90 point season over the last 20 years. They play boring, low-event hockey. Maybe that will change under the next GM but it won’t if Hiller sticks around long term.

What’s the upside to playing a rigid boring game if you aren’t a Stanley Cup contender every season? Rantanen in particular picked a team where he can play his preferred style and join a team with real Cup aspirations.

 

[Earl]

...PLD has entered the chat

I'm old I don't get the zinger but I will say on paper I'm a PLD fan but even I must admit he was brutal here last year. I've often said he's the girl or boy who always cheats and the new partner ie the Kings thinks they can change him. Was watching the World Juniors from 2017 I think and Dubois was playing for Team Canada along with Kale Claque and my God he played the same lackadaisical style even back then.

 

[DoubleMinor]

This is part of it. 31 teams passed on this player due to his situation and wishes (even though he was otherwise project around 15th by many) - Marc thought it would be a steal to go against the grain and draft him anyway.

Montreal Canadiens choose player with 31st pick who asked not to be drafted

The Canadiens stunned the rest of the NHL on Friday night by taking Logan Mailloux with the second-to-last pick in the first round of the draft

www.theguardian.com

You wonder why a team as PR & PC conscious as the Kings/AEG would hire a guy who drafted Mallioux and his glaring history? Not only drafted but was intent to the point the draftee did not want to be selected?
Still have no idea how I forgot this…

 

[Maloney27]

There is no reason for a rebuild, there are too many good pieces. It is time for the Drew Doughty loyalists to realize he is no longer a 11 million dollar a year player and that salary is keep this team from being able to improve. Please move him if able to Toronto as soon as possible, he will always have a place waiting for his HOF Jersey retirement banner. He has meant so much to this franchise, but we MUST move on to improve. Kopi is still producing close to his salary, but I think we may want to move him down a line or two, I think it is time for Byfield to get the top wingers on his line.

This firing was long overdue, we lucked out with the season Kuemper had that the PLD trade to Washington wasnt a total disaster. We really need to look at moving Luc and Hiller out as well, I could see a rebuild for the front office only. The biggest problem I have with this past regime is the lack of follow through by Blake and Luc on making sure out high draft picks are being given the correct coaching and are progressing at a proper pace, this also holds true for many of the roster moves, yes you bring in a coach to do most of this, but after sending all that capital and giving PLD a new contract, the way he was handled was completely unacceptable, starting with McLellan, who totally messed it up, to both Blake and Luc allowing it to happen. You DONT bring in a talent like that and play him on the 3rd and 4th lines!!!!

Blake put this franchise in cap HELL, under the watchful eye of Luc. The next GM must be a wizard to get us out of it, so we are able to improve. We have too many overpaid players on this roster, not saying the players should not be on the roster, but they are overpaid restricting moves to improve the roster. And we cannot open a roster spot for a player like Trevor Lewis, that keeps an Alex Turcotte or similar your player down.

I really DO NOT want to see Bergevin get the nod, I would be good with Futa, or Darche from the Lightning. They have a good sense of how to move around the cap, which has to part of the next stage of this franchise.

I think this team is very close, We really need a top flight young scorer on this team, a Mitch Marner would be sweet, but there is no way to bring in that type of player without moving Salary. I also think this team must improve the prospect situation; we have traded away many of our top prospects and do not ever look to taking changes when other teams look to move on from their top picks who have not panned out and are waived. Yes many can be busts, but you may just find a diamond out there. I specifically look to the St. Louis Blues signing the 2 Edmonton players Broberg and Holloway, a genius move that worked out very well for them. It's these types of moves that put you a notch above the rest IMO.

I guess the problem is not having an owner that knows and follows the game but is a great businessman, as long as we make the 1st round a profit is turned and Yahoooo.

 

[Johnnysuede71]

Play style is unquestionably a turn-off. Why would a player who enjoys up and down offensive hockey like Rantanen or Marner come to LA where stats go to die? The Kings have had two 80 point seasons and one 90 point season over the last 20 years. They play boring, low-event hockey. Maybe that will change under the next GM but it won’t if Hiller sticks around long term.

What’s the upside to playing a rigid boring game if you aren’t a Stanley Cup contender every season? Rantanen in particular picked a team where he can play his preferred style and join a team with real Cup aspirations.

Look I hear you and I’ve heard the ‘playing style’ argument a lot but the truth is you have no idea. It’s not like the Kings have brought in (or even drafted) a truly elite scorer so we could all watch his numbers fall off a cliff because of a ‘system’. You could argue a past-his-prime but still damn good one was Gaborik…who had enough in the tank to score 14 goals in a cup playoff run while supposedly being stifled by a ‘defense first’ system. If you’re saying that Matthews or Draisaitl as a King suddenly starts turning in 30 and 30 seasons because of the Kings ‘style’ than I’d probably take umbrage. The simple fact is…we don’t know…because we’ve never had that dude. (Maybe Palffy being the last true ‘scorer’?)

PS- A Marner lining up to Byfield’s right (and Kempe on the left) would be a helluva good move in the right direction for the future. That’s 100 goals a season right there. ‘Defense first’ or not.

 

[Bollocks]

Futa on NHL Radio right now saying this would be his dream job and he’d ideally beg Lombardi to come back as a senior advisor.

Ran through all the players in the league he scouted and had great careers.

Could there be a better candidate out there? I can’t think of one. Anyone have Luc’s cell?

Futa sounds nice, but Dean as a senior advisor? I hope he won't advise him on deadline trades and contract extensions to over the hill players.

 

[Kurisu]

Futa sounds nice, but Dean as a senior advisor? I hope he won't advise him on deadline trades and contract extensions to over the hill players.

Fair point, point but if Futa was the GM, all that stuff would just be advice. I remember Lombardi talking about building from the back end out. Problem is, teams aren't playing that mortar and pestle style anymore like we did back then. Lombardi was a fine evaluator of talent, he just got drunk on the nostalgia of loyalty. And we've got Fiala's and Kempe's and Byfield's now.

Futa's been gone and potentially objective for what, five years now? He's not automatically a nostalgia hire anymore.

 

[aaron]

Are the Kings still for sale? Is Anschutz still looking for a minority owner? That's where fans should be looking. As it stands, the Kings are a good old boys club like Edmonton was all those years pre-McD

If the Franchise were serious about winning, they would make a Godfather offer for Eric Tulsky.

 

[Statue4Deano]

Are the Kings still for sale? Is Anschutz still looking for a minority owner? That's where fans should be looking. As it stands, the Kings are a good old boys club like Edmonton was all those years pre-McD

If the Franchise were serious about winning, they would make a Godfather offer for Eric Tulsky.

What do we consider the Stan Bowman hire if not an old boys club signing? Does it not count because Bowman came from a different old boys club?

 

[hokiecat]

What do we consider the Stan Bowman hire if not an old boys club signing? Does it not count because Bowman came from a different old boys club?

I think you missed Aaron's point. After Slats, the Oilers had Lowe and Mactavish as GM's with Steve Tambellini in between. All mediocre and 2 of the 3 were big pieces in their Cup years. The Oilers weren't hiring the best, they were bringing back their legends.

Now look at the Kings. Blake as GM. Nelson Emerson assistant GM. Glenn Murray leading player personnel. Armstrong, Donnelly, Greene, Odie, and Stoll in the development office. I'd love to work with my best friends, but I think the outcome would be better if I had more co-workers outside of my friend group.

100% agree with Aaron on Tulsky. He's been great.

 

[What party?]

I'm old I don't get the zinger but I will say on paper I'm a PLD fan but even I must admit he was brutal here last year. I've often said he's the girl or boy who always cheats and the new partner ie the Kings thinks they can change him. Was watching the World Juniors from 2017 I think and Dubois was playing for Team Canada along with Kale Claque and my God he played the same lackadaisical style even back then.

Ha. Earl, that's not it at all, it's not an age thing, my sense of humor is more of a dry wit, like the brits. It may take a couple of posts but you'll either be like, oh I see what she's doing there, funny. Or, that is so horrible it's laughable. =) Big picture: We'll get there together (no pressure).

You made a reference to how Blake took a risk on the known coach killer, Kovy, my post's reply about PLD was he did not quite learn that lesson did he? I'd do the research but I think Pierre has killed (counting Todd) 4? Or is it 5 coaches?

Did PLD just upgrade to GM killer? Is Blake's blood on his hands?!!! Hmmm... He does check a lot of sociopathic boxes...

 

[Statue4Deano]

I think you missed Aaron's point. After Slats, the Oilers had Lowe and Mactavish as GM's with Steve Tambellini in between. All mediocre and 2 of the 3 were big pieces in their Cup years. The Oilers weren't hiring the best, they were bringing back their legends.

Now look at the Kings. Blake as GM. Nelson Emerson assistant GM. Glenn Murray leading player personnel. Armstrong, Donnelly, Greene, Odie, and Stoll in the development office. I'd love to work with my best friends, but I think the outcome would be better if I had more co-workers outside of my friend group.

100% agree with Aaron on Tulsky. He's been great.

Why would Carolina let him go?

Also take a look at the current Hurricanes development team.

Peter Harrold - Dir. Player Development (5+ seasons as skills coach, internal hire)
Kevin McCarthy - Development Coach (16+ season with the franchise)
Dan Bochner - Development Coach (outside hire)
Jason Muzzati - Goaltending Coach (former Whalers player and ex-teammate of Rod Brind’Amour)

Assistant GM - Darren Yorke (16 seasons with the franchise)
Special Assistant to the GM - Justin Williams

So what exactly is the complaint about re-treads and need for outside voices/new blood about exactly?

 

[T]

There is some irony that his moves this season more or less worked out.

That said, he should have been fired last year at the latest.

I think this spells the end for Hiller, if they go outside the organization for a replacement.

Blake's best year as GM

 

[jammer06]

Players want to play for a chance at winning. We are not that.
Last 10 years this is our playoff record:

2015 - missed
2016 - 1-4
2017 - missed
2018 - 0-4
2019 - missed
2020 - missed
2021 - missed
2022 - 3-4
2023 - 2-4
2024 - 1-4
2025 - 2-4

9 wins
24 losses

Got news for you, subtract out 2012-2014 from kings history and that's actually improving things....

 

[jammer06]

Play style is unquestionably a turn-off. Why would a player who enjoys up and down offensive hockey like Rantanen or Marner come to LA where stats go to die? The Kings have had two 80 point seasons and one 90 point season over the last 20 years. They play boring, low-event hockey. Maybe that will change under the next GM but it won’t if Hiller sticks around long term.

What’s the upside to playing a rigid boring game if you aren’t a Stanley Cup contender every season? Rantanen in particular picked a team where he can play his preferred style and join a team with real Cup aspirations.

Even when Gretzky was here it was hard to get players to want to come play. He could get oilers that wanted out of Edmonton. Dionne and Rogie were basically blackballed to the Kings. For whatever reason it's not just playing style, but there's a mythos about LA that most players somehow hold near Winnipeg proportions.

 

[santiclaws]

• For all Euros, and most Canadians, the geographic location puts them considerably further away from home.
• Taxes and cost of living are high
• This is not a "hockey culture" city. Hockey is very much an afterthought. For many players who grew up in places where hockey is life, it's a big turnoff.
• LA does not have a reputation as a safe or family friendly city in the outside world and it seems particularly true in hockey circles. Gavrikov talked about being worried about his family when he was traded. The bus ride to Crypto does not help counter that perception at all.
• All those things could be overcome to a large extent if the team was going deep every season, but they haven't gone to the 2nd round in 11 years. For a lot of players, that was when they were kids. Ancient, dusty history.

The question is not why do UFAs not want to come here. The question is why would they?

 

[What party?]

• For all Euros, and most Canadians, the geographic location puts them considerably further away from home.
• Taxes and cost of living are high
• This is not a "hockey culture" city. Hockey is very much an afterthought. For many players who grew up in places where hockey is life, it's a big turnoff.
• LA does not have a reputation as a safe or family friendly city in the outside world and it seems particularly true in hockey circles. Gavrikov talked about being worried about his family when he was traded. The bus ride to Crypto does not help counter that perception at all.
• All those things could be overcome to a large extent if the team was going deep every season, but they haven't gone to the 2nd round in 11 years. For a lot of players, that was when they were kids. Ancient, dusty history.

The question is not why do UFAs not want to come here. The question is why would they?

Retort: