When are the exit interviews?

[Statue4Deano]

Kevin Baxter (LA TIMES) asked Luc essentially the same question about self-reflection, and accountability for Luc regarding how the Kings have not won a series (since like forever) and Luc sorta brushed off the question.

Just like last season, the FO feels pretty comfortable, no urgency, no fear, no accountability.
Rob was fired because they could not justify firing yet another coach under Rob's tenure.
Rob took the fall. It was deserved for years of bad management, but from he FO perspective, they had to do something, and Rob was the guy.

Luc needs to be removed as well. They need to gut the place.
It's a not a winning culture in the FO

I was never the biggest GM Blake fan but years of bad management is a stretch.

He was handed a roster filled with disastrous contracts and wasn’t allowed to tear the whole thing down to rebuild correctly. Luc believed the roster had a winning core to build around because Kopi and Doughty were still in their prime. That very premise was false and Blake agreed to an impossible task. So ultimately his failure is his own responsibility.

That being said, Blake took a team that bottomed out in 2019/20 back to the playoffs within 2 seasons and that squad pushed the Oilers to a game 7. Look around the league at all the other perennial bottom dwellers like the Sharks, Ducks, Blackhawks, Senators and Sabres to see how difficult that type of rapid turnaround is.

Blake had several high profile missteps over his 8 seasons but literally every GM has those same level of failures if not worse.

There is no question that Blake left the organization in a better place than when he was handled control. No he never got the team out of Round 1 but things could’ve been so much worse.

 

[Moog]

I was never the biggest GM Blake fan but years of bad management is a stretch.

He was handed a roster filled with disastrous contracts and wasn’t allowed to tear the whole thing down to rebuild correctly. Luc believed the roster had a winning core to build around because Kopi and Doughty were still in their prime. That very premise was false and Blake agreed to an impossible task. So ultimately his failure is his own responsibility.

That being said, Blake took a team that bottomed out in 2019/20 back to the playoffs within 2 seasons and that squad pushed the Oilers to a game 7. Look around the league at all the other perennial bottom dwellers like the Sharks, Ducks, Blackhawks, Senators and Sabres to see how difficult that type of rapid turnaround is.

Blake had several high profile missteps over his 8 seasons but literally every GM has those same level of failures if not worse.

There is no question that Blake left the organization in a better place than when he was handled control. No he never got the team out of Round 1 but things could’ve been so much worse.

Perhaps, you raise some good points.

However, after 8 years of going nowhere, to be honest "so much worse" would leave the team perhaps better off.
Just think of the draft picks they could have had. Round one exists and finishing in the black hole are worse long term than "so much worse"

If you are saying Blake was a YES MAN, and now with Luc still running the show, the next GM will also need to be a YES MAN. Oh boy.

 

[Statue4Deano]

Perhaps, you raise some good points.

However, after 8 years of going nowhere, to be honest "so much worse" would leave the team perhaps better off.
Just think of the draft picks they could have had. Round one exists and finishing in the black hole are worse long term than "so much worse"

If you are saying Blake was a YES MAN, and now with Luc still running the show, the next GM will also need to be a YES MAN. Oh boy.

My hope is whoever the next GM is will be allowed to do what he thinks is best to bring the Cup back to LA but I just don’t think it’s realistic to expect Luc to get out of the way.

It kind of gets forgotten now but when Lombardi first signed on he talked about pitching the idea to ownership about doing a full rebuild or trying to do a build-up while competing for the playoffs. Ownership picked option B so he agreed to that even though it was impossible. That’s why his first coaching hire was Marc Crawford (not a developmental coach) and why he used his limited valuable assets trading for Cloutier (2nd and a 3rd round picks)

When that plan failed miserably Lombardi was forced into the full rebuild.

Sometimes you just have to say yes to get your shot and hope for the best.

 

[05/29/93]

My hope is whoever the next GM is will be allowed to do what he thinks is best to bring the Cup back to LA but I just don’t think it’s realistic to expect Luc to get out of the way.

It kind of gets forgotten now but when Lombardi first signed on he talked about pitching the idea to ownership about doing a full rebuild or trying to do a build-up while competing for the playoffs. Ownership picked option B so he agreed to that even though it was impossible. That’s why his first coaching hire was Marc Crawford (not a developmental coach) and why he used his limited valuable assets trading for Cloutier (2nd and a 3rd round picks)

When that plan failed miserably Lombardi was forced into the full rebuild.

Sometimes you just have to say yes to get your shot and hope for the best.

That plan failing miserably was the best thing that happened to the Kings organization, as it turned out.

 

[Helvetica]

in all honesty, this was the best team the King's have iced since Blake took over, and i think a lot of us believed they were capable of beating the oilers this time. So, in that regard, i do give the front office kudos for getting the team pointed in the right direction, identifying some elements that were missing, and providing the team the means to perform. Mistakes were made on the ice and behind the bench, and i think maybe, in any other year many of us would be willing to accept that fact. You can't always win, and people aren't perfect, and the team that should win doesn't always do so.

The problem is that we're a ways into this rebuild and the context of getting ousted in the 1st round by the same team 4 seasons in a row matters. If i strip away the context, i'd like to see this team run it back... for sure. But the context cannot be stripped away and results matter. I dont know if radical change is the correct path forward, but i do know that what they've been doing year after year hasnt worked either.

 

[Statue4Deano]

in all honesty, this was the best team the King's have iced since Blake took over, and i think a lot of us believed they were capable of beating the oilers this time. So, in that regard, i do give the front office kudos for getting the team pointed in the right direction, identifying some elements that were missing, and providing the team the means to perform. Mistakes were made on the ice and behind the bench, and i think maybe, in any other year many of us would be willing to accept that fact. You can't always win, and people aren't perfect, and the team that should win doesn't always do so.

The problem is that we're a ways into this rebuild and the context of getting ousted in the 1st round by the same team 4 seasons in a row matters. If i strip away the context, i'd like to see this team run it back... for sure. But the context cannot be stripped away and results matter. I dont know if radical change is the correct path forward, but i do know that what they've been doing year after year hasnt worked either.

The more I think about where the organization is and how difficult it was to even get to this point and then I take a look around the league at the teams left and how far the Kings are from being on their level, the more it makes sense that Blake walked away. He did all he could and it still wasn’t close to being good enough.

And because of that reality, I look back at what Lombardi built and it makes someone like Mike Futa, who was there nearly every step of the way, seem like a logical pick as the best fit for this job. Not for nostalgia sake but because he was right there at Lombardi’s right hand as he built a winner in this unique setting. Something that maybe only one other candidate can boast.

Seems likely that this is Luc’s last kick at the can and whoever he picks for GM will need to be someone he already trusts to not just take the franchise to the next level but to keep Luc employed. With that added context Bergevin makes a lot of sense but if Luc wants to swing for the fences I think Pat Brisson makes sense too.

I don’t think either of those two will get this organization back on track but I’m not sure any available candidate can.

 

[SirJW]

Wait, is Pat Brisson in the discussion or in jest?

 

[Bollocks]

for what it's worth, he was asked. He essentially said, "we saw things we thought were interference during the sequence, but it's over now and what i saw doesn't matter".

There were some things that happened prior to the kick and the subsequent stick tap that i think he's alluding to. Kane was in the crease pushing the goalie and id assume that's what he felt like was where the interference would come from.

I mentioned in another thread that the outcome of the challenge was almost irrelevant to me. Certainly you want to get that call correct. But it's just such a risky call to make at that specific point in the game. I understand his reasoning, but i think, again, it's just maybe too risky to try even if you think youre correct. But like he said... doesnt really matter now.

The way I see it...he knew the team was gassed and this was the only way they win. He knew they wouldn't stand a chance if they equalized...

Which is in and of itself a problem. Not trusting the bottom lines and then not trusting the top guys either. Basically he didn't believe in the players.

 

[Statue4Deano]

Wait, is Pat Brisson in the discussion or in jest?

According to the Mayor he’s not interested at this time. The trend of super agent to GM is not a new phenomenon.

 

[Clif]

According to the Mayor he’s not interested at this time. The trend of super agent to GM is not a new phenomenon.

I am one of those than enjoys Hoven turning up wrong because he’s such a blowhard, though I also recognize when he puts out something of value. His updated article at least provides a real look at feasible GM options out there.

Didn’t even consider the AGM in Dallas, could be the best option of all. That roster has been brilliant for years. But it also makes sense Luc likely won’t wait that long for DAL’ postseason to end.

I still like Yanetti, but Darche from TB is intriguing also. Hextall might be worse than Bergevin.

Also, I gotta be real, Brian Burke almost sounds intriguing also. Almost.

 

[Statue4Deano]

I am one of those than enjoys Hoven turning up wrong because he’s such a blowhard, though I also recognize when he puts out something of value. His updated article at least provides a real look at feasible GM options out there.

Didn’t even consider the AGM in Dallas, could be the best option of all. That roster has been brilliant for years. But it also makes sense Luc likely won’t wait that long for DAL’ postseason to end.

I still like Yanetti, but Darche from TB is intriguing also. Hextall might be worse than Bergevin.

Also, I gotta be real, Brian Burke almost sounds intriguing also. Almost.

Of all the names mentioned in the Mayor update, Doug Wilson is the only one that made me contort my face in disgust.

Yannetti is my preference but I’m game for anyone who understands how you win hockey games in 2025 is not the same as 2005.