Why did Dean Lombardi get fired again?

[Dorian20]

The LA Kings organization did this man dirty just two years removed from their 2 second Stanley Cup in 3 years. Why are we so GD trendy in this town? Always tinkering with sh*t that's not broken. Make a long-term commitment to something and let it go. Under Ken Holland, Red Wings went through hell and back through his 22 years as GM. But he got them 4 Stanley Cups in that span, although the 1997 one, he was Asst GM. Dean Lombardi could've fixed some of his mistakes and he was able to pull some miracles. Yes, it was tough at the end to sustain the success we had because things got stale and the salary cap became an issue, but at the end of the day, we haven't won a playoff series in 10 years, and Rob Blake is responsible for 8 of them. Lombardi got this team to playoffs 4 years in, and a Stanley Cup in 6.

During his first breakfast with the GM, Dean gave us a history lesson that morning about our own franchise and said up to this point, the Kings management had no clue how to run an organization, giving away first rd pick after pick and signing guys past their prime. He mentioned Ray Bourque as well.

It seems the Kings fired Dean and went right back to the status quo. This team and organization is playing fantasy hockey and the mismanagement has reached a boiling point. Bring back Dean!

 

[Birdman]

He got fired because of the Voynov/Richards/Stoll debacles, and then we went from Stanley Cups to out of the playoffs in 2 of 3 years.

I also think somebody was in the owners ear that is still here right before we started winning cups, and that had something to do with it.

 

[dannybuoy1]

You win 2 cups, then you are not making or scraping to get into the playoffs, you have a problem. It happens. You get fired for making bad decisions and after 2014 he was not making great hockey decisions. Ken Holland is an anomaly, but lots of GM's have had this happen to them.

All the credit to Dean. He completely changed the culture and expectations of this franchise.

 

[HeadInjury]

From the moment right before DL had to decide whether to use a compliance buyout on Richards, until the end of his tenure, name all the great decisions that he made.

That will give you the answer to your question.

 

[Dorian20]

He got fired because of the Voynov/Richards/Stoll debacles, and then we went from Stanley Cups to out of the playoffs in 2 of 3 years.

I also think somebody was in the owners ear that is still here right before we started winning cups, and that had something to do with it.

The Richards contract was a judgment call, which unfortunately bit him in the ass. But as far as all three of them getting in trouble, that’s not Dean’s fault.

as far as the cronyism, I absolutely agree.

 

[orpheus]

What surprises me is that he didn't get another GM position after.

 

[VCRW]

The enigmatic decision to trade Cernak for a washed up Ben Bishop will always be indefensible - and will p*ss me off as long a Cernak plays in the league.

 

[Bollocks]

Dean had some really bad luck with Richards and Voynov situations.

That said, he made quite a few mistakes after the 2nd Cup run. By not buying out Mike, it forced him to not resign Willie Mitchell. He made some very sub-optimal trades (Sekera rental, Lucic rental, Ben Bishop almost rental) and some straight up dumpster dive moves (Iginla, Lecavalier, Setoguchi).

In order to prove he's worgh keeping as a GM for another "5-year plan" he should've aggressively retooled after Mike and Voynov situations piled up. He should've bought out Mike. That would allow talented youth and some cap space for the "next-gen" conterder situation.

Instead he aimlessly scrambled until it was obvious he has no idea what to do. I'm unsure though how much it was all on him though, maybe an aggressive retool was an unacceptable scenario for the ownership, which then also pushed Rob to do some foolish moves like Ilya before actaully retooling. Maybe Desjardins hire was a self-sabotage of sorts to finally force-start the retool. It's difficult to know for sure what went on without actually having an insight in the relationships and hierarchy within the team (ownership - upper management - management).

 

[Statue4Deano]

What surprises me is that he didn't get another GM position after.

The Kings implosion and the absolute debacle of Team USA at the 2016 World Cup sealed his fate. He was too loyal, too demanding and too stuck in his ways to adapt to a rapidly evolving NHL.

A refresher for anyone who has put that 2016 World Cup of Hockey team USA roster out of their memories. Dean was OBSESSED with re-creating the 1980 Miracle squad. Instead we got a team filled with big, slow, physical “character” guys who were predictably skated around and out skilled.

 

[Dorian20]

From the moment right before DL had to decide whether to use a compliance buyout on Richards, until the end of his tenure, name all the great decisions that he made.

That will give you the answer to your question.

It was great at the time when we signed all of our core players to long-term deals so we can keep the band together. Unfortunately, that worked against us.

The Kings implosion and the absolute debacle of Team USA at the 2016 World Cup sealed his fate. He was too loyal, too demanding and too stuck in his ways to adapt to a rapidly evolving NHL.

A refresher for anyone who has put that 2016 World Cup of Hockey team USA roster out of their memories. Dean was OBSESSED with re-creating the 1980 Miracle squad. Instead we got a team filled with big, slow, physical “character” guys who were predictably skated around and out skilled.

I mean of course that US team was a disappointment, but i think they had Tortorella as the coach and i think that was even worse. That lineup on paper is no slouch.

 

[Moog]

The REAL reason: AEG parting ways with Tim Leiweke.

Once Danny B was given control, it was dollars over winning, and the downfall moves rather quickly.

Danny B is a cancer for AEG and the teams he runs.

Don’t believe the loss of Leiweke was the cause? Have a look at AEG’s other team in town, Galaxy. The most historic, dynasty in MLS, the crown jewel….goes into complete and utter freefall in just a season or so after Leiweke gets the boot.

The Kings and Galaxy downfalls after 2014 are almost exact. Horrific front office management, coach roulette galore, bad roster management.

A culture of good old boys in the front office, along with a culture of profit over winning.
Echo chamber management style.

Silver lining: After a decade of mediocrity, the supporters groups and fans boycotted the Galaxy matches, and called for the team president to be fired. It worked. Danny B and AEG’s hands were forced and they fired Chris Klein.

The front office was gutted of the rot, and new OUTSIDE management was brought in to rebuild the club. Currently underway.

When AEG chose profits over winning, their teams suffered.

Kings fans can hope that a front office clean out occurs this offseason for a brighter future.
Kings fans deserve better.

Demand more from your team.

 

[dannybuoy1]

The enigmatic decision to trade Cernak for a washed up Ben Bishop will always be indefensible - and will p*ss me off as long a Cernak plays in the league.

If I could like this a thousand times, I would. And, we did not even need Bishop.

 

[dannybuoy1]

The REAL reason: AEG parting ways with Tim Leiweke.


Danny B is a cancer for AEG and the teams he runs.

I am not!

 

[Statue4Deano]

It was great at the time when we signed all of our core players to long-term deals so we can keep the band together. Unfortunately, that worked against us.

I mean of course that US team was a disappointment, but i think they had Tortorella as the coach and i think that was even worse. That lineup on paper is no slouch.

The lineup was awful for an international tournament. They were embarrassed on a global stage. They went 0-3 with 5 goals scored 11 goals allowed. Only Finland had a worse showing.

Off the top of my head these were some of the skill guys that were left off:
Phil Kessel
Chris Krieder
Tyler Johnson
Paul Statsny


Keith Yandle
Torrey Krug
Kevin Shattenkirk

Lombardi and Burke fully believed they were creating a squad that would be playing for Herb Brooks instead of looking around the league and acknowledging the game was evolving.

 

[Dorian20]

If I could like this a thousand times, I would. And, we did not even need Bishop.

ya but we overworked Budaj and he burned out in the end.

 

[hokiecat]

ya but we overworked Budaj and he burned out in the end.

But quick was returning. We ended up with Bishop and Quick. Cernak gone because org thought he'd never be a NHL player.

The Lucic deal was a killer when we could have had Kyle Connor. Most on the board here wanted him. Plus the first round pick to rent Sekera for 2 months. Letting Williams walk was dumb but I also think he wanted out of LA.

Extending so much of the roster was dumb too. The Kings were running ads circa 2018 how they still had 12 guys from the Cup roster. You keep the top players and let the depth walk in a cap limited NHL.

And the WCOH USA roster definitely created an impression that Dean was living in the past.

 

[DarkLeftHand]

The Kings implosion and the absolute debacle of Team USA at the 2016 World Cup sealed his fate. He was too loyal, too demanding and too stuck in his ways to adapt to a rapidly evolving NHL.

A refresher for anyone who has put that 2016 World Cup of Hockey team USA roster out of their memories. Dean was OBSESSED with re-creating the 1980 Miracle squad. Instead we got a team filled with big, slow, physical “character” guys who were predictably skated around and out skilled.

That’s a pretty good looking defense(for that period in time), but oh my, what a terrible bunch of grinder type forwards. Wow, that is bad. As I recall, they couldn’t score to save their lives.

 

[Statue4Deano]

That’s a pretty good looking defense(for that period in time), but oh my, what a terrible bunch of grinder type forwards. Wow, that is bad. As I recall, they couldn’t score to save their lives.

The forward group was almost a parody of what someone would draw up if they were mocking Lombardi’s preferred play style. A complete joke.

USA obviously couldn't touch the forward skill level that some of the other countries were icing on the whole but trying to zig by adding grit while other countries were zagging with skill and speed was a fools errand. Especially when you had skill guys with Team USA experience available in Kessel and Statsny. The later being the ideal playmaking Center next to Kane, Pavelski or Parise. Silly stuff. Completely whiffing on Chris Krieder speaks to the scouting dept shortcoming. Elite speed, with decent size and 20 goal hands. He should’ve been a lock.

Personally I’m taking Yandle and Krug over JJ and Niskanen just in case the team couldn’t score (which they couldn’t) but overall that defensive group was stacked.

Goaltending just flopped in general.

I hated that team.

 

[jammer06]

The enigmatic decision to trade Cernak for a washed up Ben Bishop will always be indefensible - and will p*ss me off as long a Cernak plays in the league.

Actually the entire way the development team screwed up that evaluation and projection still pisses me off. Can't believe they buried him in the echl and he stepped right into the nhl

 

[jammer06]

But quick was returning. We ended up with Bishop and Quick. Cernak gone because org thought he'd never be a NHL player.

The Lucic deal was a killer when we could have had Kyle Connor. Most on the board here wanted him. Plus the first round pick to rent Sekera for 2 months. Letting Williams walk was dumb but I also think he wanted out of LA.

Extending so much of the roster was dumb too. The Kings were running ads circa 2018 how they still had 12 guys from the Cup roster. You keep the top players and let the depth walk in a cap limited NHL.

And the WCOH USA roster definitely created an impression that Dean was living in the past.

Williams wanted to be paid like the 5 million dollar winger he was, unfortunately for him that was a crazy soft ufa year. He did get too taste East Coast hockey life again though.