What a great summation of the situation! I am scared to death they will hire from within the organization. Bergeron has done nothing as a GM. It would be a an equivalent move to the hire of Hiller. If that’s the direction he goes then the organizational failures will fall on Luc this time not the future GM or coach. It’s time to stop hiring friends and hire someone that’s at the top of their field. This city and its fans deserve nothing less.
Its a great first step. What is unclear is how much Luc meddled behind the scenes with Blake. This org desperately needs new blood to reassess its identity/style and also how long it wants to keep clinging to its past. I've often wondered how much of a leader Kopitar and Doughty are, when it counts. They always seem dumbfounded each year with the same result which seems bizarre. Early vote for Kempe to the leader...he's gritty and skilled.
The Blake era ends with a whimper. It won't happen, but Luc needs to go as well as he is just as much a part of the problem as Blake was.
New faces, new ideas, etc. are needed. If you're going to dip back into the past, then you ask Mike Futa to pick up the white courtesy phone. He SHOULD have been the one to take over from Deano, but Luc backdoored Blake into the GM seat. If not Futs, then I would be ok with Yank moving from scouting to the GM position. He, along with Futa are Deano students and know how to build a team, not just assemble random parts.
But again, mine and many others hopes will be dashed as our #20 wearing bobblehead will introduce his buddy and Montreal roster destroyer, Bergie as the new General Manager for the LA Kings.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Rinse, repeat.a
They need to find somebody hasn't been part of The Good Old Boys Club. Bergevin would just be another iteration of that. This team needs a complete diagnostic assessment from top to bottom. Hopefully Robitaille won't stand in the way of that. A head coach who isn't afraid to take ice away from Kopitar and Doughty is also a must.
As opposed to most sports team management moves ("you can't fire the team!"), this one seems to be appropriate. Every move the coming GM must make should answer the question, "How can I beat the Oilers?" One way or another, the Kings are going to have to face them. Superstars wouldn't hurt, but this team is not that far from being able to answer that question. Blake, and probably Hiller, likely won't be the ones to answer it.
~~"They should go outside the organization and hire someone who can provide an honest evaluation of their assets and liabilities, but that would require an ability to absorb criticism. It’s not clear that team president Luc Robitaille and his bosses can do that or are willing to try that."~~
That's the crux of it, for me.
I remember a speech from Dean Lombardi where he discussed whether "the room" was ready to bring in big name free agents. He wanted the core group to create an identity, an ecosystem that would not get run over by the new guys.
Mike Richards was later asked about potentially being named Captain someday, which sounds impertinent but this was Mike Richards in his prime so the question was totally reasonable. And Richards quashed it immediately, and when he did so it didn't sound wrong at all.
The team identity absorbed him, not the other way around.
That is not to say Richards didn't fit it in or was not welcomed, or wasn't a major part of the leadership group. Mike Richards was respected as an equal, a valuable and wizened addition. The team was as worthy of his respect as he was of their respect.
Honest, forward thinking and, as always, eloquent writing Helene. I just wonder if we're not addressing the elephant in the room. Love the man as a person, not sure about being the President of the organization. I wonder if he sees things as clearly as you do.
Thank you, Helene. You have precisely explained the situation for Kings fans. I appreciate the comments by your readers as well. I watched the last Kings game through to the locker room comments by Kopitar and Kempe. Everyone values what Kopitar has meant to the team, and in that room he looked haggard and sorrowful and empty. Kempe, and is this just my impression, seemed to have some energy left to suggest repressed anger in defeat. Then, Hiller’s comments, which were a recitation of the facts of the game — no insight and little sense of responsibility to the team.
As always, astutely observed and incisively articulated by Helene. It seems incredible that a team with 105 points in the regular season lacks an identity, but this team does. Whatever their performance across these 11 years since SC2, they have always felt like they try to maintain the Lombardi/Sutter identity. But the league evolves. Agree that Luc should bear great responsibility here too, but I don’t think ownership is engaged enough to care.
Fascinating! I’m Harrison, an ex fine dining industry line cook. My stack "The Secret Ingredient" adapts hit restaurant recipes (mostly NYC and L.A.) for easy home cooking.
What a great summation of the situation! I am scared to death they will hire from within the organization. Bergeron has done nothing as a GM. It would be a an equivalent move to the hire of Hiller. If that’s the direction he goes then the organizational failures will fall on Luc this time not the future GM or coach. It’s time to stop hiring friends and hire someone that’s at the top of their field. This city and its fans deserve nothing less.
Berge'vin'.
Bergeron was the HOF center of the Bruins.
Its a great first step. What is unclear is how much Luc meddled behind the scenes with Blake. This org desperately needs new blood to reassess its identity/style and also how long it wants to keep clinging to its past. I've often wondered how much of a leader Kopitar and Doughty are, when it counts. They always seem dumbfounded each year with the same result which seems bizarre. Early vote for Kempe to the leader...he's gritty and skilled.
The Blake era ends with a whimper. It won't happen, but Luc needs to go as well as he is just as much a part of the problem as Blake was.
New faces, new ideas, etc. are needed. If you're going to dip back into the past, then you ask Mike Futa to pick up the white courtesy phone. He SHOULD have been the one to take over from Deano, but Luc backdoored Blake into the GM seat. If not Futs, then I would be ok with Yank moving from scouting to the GM position. He, along with Futa are Deano students and know how to build a team, not just assemble random parts.
But again, mine and many others hopes will be dashed as our #20 wearing bobblehead will introduce his buddy and Montreal roster destroyer, Bergie as the new General Manager for the LA Kings.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Rinse, repeat.a
They need to find somebody hasn't been part of The Good Old Boys Club. Bergevin would just be another iteration of that. This team needs a complete diagnostic assessment from top to bottom. Hopefully Robitaille won't stand in the way of that. A head coach who isn't afraid to take ice away from Kopitar and Doughty is also a must.
As opposed to most sports team management moves ("you can't fire the team!"), this one seems to be appropriate. Every move the coming GM must make should answer the question, "How can I beat the Oilers?" One way or another, the Kings are going to have to face them. Superstars wouldn't hurt, but this team is not that far from being able to answer that question. Blake, and probably Hiller, likely won't be the ones to answer it.
~~"They should go outside the organization and hire someone who can provide an honest evaluation of their assets and liabilities, but that would require an ability to absorb criticism. It’s not clear that team president Luc Robitaille and his bosses can do that or are willing to try that."~~
That's the crux of it, for me.
I remember a speech from Dean Lombardi where he discussed whether "the room" was ready to bring in big name free agents. He wanted the core group to create an identity, an ecosystem that would not get run over by the new guys.
Mike Richards was later asked about potentially being named Captain someday, which sounds impertinent but this was Mike Richards in his prime so the question was totally reasonable. And Richards quashed it immediately, and when he did so it didn't sound wrong at all.
The team identity absorbed him, not the other way around.
That is not to say Richards didn't fit it in or was not welcomed, or wasn't a major part of the leadership group. Mike Richards was respected as an equal, a valuable and wizened addition. The team was as worthy of his respect as he was of their respect.
The room was ready. Is Luc ready?
Honest, forward thinking and, as always, eloquent writing Helene. I just wonder if we're not addressing the elephant in the room. Love the man as a person, not sure about being the President of the organization. I wonder if he sees things as clearly as you do.
Thank you, Helene. You have precisely explained the situation for Kings fans. I appreciate the comments by your readers as well. I watched the last Kings game through to the locker room comments by Kopitar and Kempe. Everyone values what Kopitar has meant to the team, and in that room he looked haggard and sorrowful and empty. Kempe, and is this just my impression, seemed to have some energy left to suggest repressed anger in defeat. Then, Hiller’s comments, which were a recitation of the facts of the game — no insight and little sense of responsibility to the team.
As always, astutely observed and incisively articulated by Helene. It seems incredible that a team with 105 points in the regular season lacks an identity, but this team does. Whatever their performance across these 11 years since SC2, they have always felt like they try to maintain the Lombardi/Sutter identity. But the league evolves. Agree that Luc should bear great responsibility here too, but I don’t think ownership is engaged enough to care.
Fascinating! I’m Harrison, an ex fine dining industry line cook. My stack "The Secret Ingredient" adapts hit restaurant recipes (mostly NYC and L.A.) for easy home cooking.
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