Lombardi, Part 4
Here's the final part of the Lombardi interview. In this part, he goes a little more in-depth about the process of building the team and how he thinks things are going, long term...
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Q: It seems like what the public wants to know is, as you're in the process of building the organization, are things progressing the way you had hoped, or have their been some setbacks along the way?
LOMBARDI: You have to be careful how you answer this, because your team has to be accountable. When you have a player like...last year, Kopitar comes in and obviously shows enormous potential. Then you have a player like Jack Johnson on the back last year. He's already a player. He's not making highlight films but he's doing a lot of good things. So that's a step forward. What we're trying to accomplish here, it's building two things. It's building the team and the reserve list.
Another thing you can look at is a kid like Purcell in the minors, leading the minors in scoring as a first-year player. The fact that we had such a big decision on Bernier at such an early stage. That's why, when you ask me if we're on schedule, where have we had a setback? I don't know. Brown signs for six years, at hopefully for a reasonable number. Moulson, we'll see how he pans out, but that's one we didn't expect. Zeiler is Zeiler. There's a structural thing that has to be worked on, as well as the team that you see immediately. Those guys are coming along fine. Even the kids that went back to junior...Simmonds is the most sought-after kid in the Ontario league right now. Every team that's a contender wants him. So these are positive things. I'm trying to think of where we've had a setback in terms of that side of it.
Now, that being said, I think we're back to where we were at the front end of this conversation. That doesn't answer for us losing or for us searching for an identity. So if you ask me, `Are you happy with that?' No. `Are you happy with some of the other things you're seeing?' Yeah. Hickey is playing 30 minutes (per game) in Seattle right now, wearing a captain's letter. That's why, in the stage where I am, you have to spend three weeks on the road, in the trenches with your scouts, because that's an area that I very fiercely believe in, and I wanted to put in the work. That's going to pay off down the road. Parts of it, I'm very happy with the way they're progressing. Other parts, no.
Q: Looking at it down the road, how does the roster fill itself in? You talked about not wanting to add six or seven free agents every year, but how do you keep that from being a cycle that repeats itself? Do you try to ease the young guys in, the way you're doing with Johnson and Moulson now, for example?
LOMBARDI: Yes. And eventually you get to the point where you've got a team that's now a group with upside. If you can play in the league with upside... You're right. It's almost a piece at a time. And you've got to be careful with the guys in the minors. They've got to be trained properly. So, you've already seen a little. Zeiler...OK. O'Sullivan...OK. Those are young guys who hopefully can find a role on the team. And eventually you get to the point where you don't have to do that anymore. That's where you're trying to go.
But in the meantime, you're juggling two balls at once. We do this exercise (in the office) all the time. It's trying to fill the boxes [roster spots]. The more boxes you can get filled... Like, you still didn't know, coming into this year, if Johnson could play in the league. Well now, next year there's a top-four (defenseman) box that you can fill with him. That's a guy we can grow with. Even down to your role players like Zeiler. He's had some ups and downs but I think he understands what he's got to do. We didn't have our own role players from within the system. Now, with him and maybe Moulson and maybe (O'Sullivan), four of our bottom six, arguably, come from within the system and they're young players.
The problem is, if you start rushing kids, that's not good either. It's not fair to them and then you're throwing them out the door, like what happened with the Islanders 10 or 15 years ago. They had all those kids and they were ready to start winning, and then you get down on the kids and you trade them all. You can't do that. Like I've said, when you're not as active in free agency, you're probably headed to where that nucleus is coming together. Not to say that you're not going to be involved in some way, every year, but I'm talking about those holes (on the roster). You don't want to go in with so many holes. Let's say (O'Sullivan) solidifies a role, with Zeiler, (Ivanans), Johnson... that's four more than you had last year. Maybe we'll get lucky and one of the other guys will be ready by the end of the season or whatever.
Q: Then maybe next year it's Purcell and Harrold and a couple others...
LOMBARDI: Yeah, and eventually... We're not a young team. And to get there, there's a process. Now, going back to your original question, if we had some guys who had performed up to expectations, I think we'd be in a better situation currently. We should be there and we're not. And that goes back to what you're saying about some of the free agents who have not performed like we thought they should have been able to. Then again, it's still a little early.
Q: The last question is about a style of play, or maybe a lack of toughness on the team. Looking at the Ducks last year, with that shutdown line they had, I don't see that potential with the Kings. Is it there and I'm just not seeing it?
LOMBARDI: Here's what happens. When your top guys, when your top two lines are scoring, it's easier to build that traditional third line. I had one of the best third lines in hockey when I had (Mike) Ricci, (Scott) Thornton and (Niklas) Sundstrom. I loved that line. In the playoffs, they were like a second line. But what happens with teams -- like where we're at right now -- is that when you don't get the secondary scoring, sometimes that third line has to err toward a little more skill, to try to get some scoring.
Now if you're asking me the type of team I'd like, I still, ideally, would like to get back to two scoring lines, a Ricci-type third line and then an energy-type fourth line. Third-line guys can play. That's the thing with Ricci and Thornton. They could play. They could play in traffic and everything else, and then with your fourth line, you sacrifice skill to get energy. But because of our lack of secondary scoring, we probably have to look at that third line in terms of getting more skill. The second line might not be a bona-fide second line. Like I said, that was one of the favorite lines I've ever had. They were just dogs and they scored big goals, playoff goals, and they were hard to play against. It's hard to find those players nowadays.
It's a lot easier to build that way, and to get players to accept that role, if your top six (forwards) can give you what you need, in a traditional sense, in terms of putting up numbers. To win, I still believe you need those two scoring lines, four top defensemen and good goaltending. But like I said, all you've got to know is that that was one of my favorite lines in San Jose. It's hard to find those guys, but it's a little easier to do once your scoring is taken care of. We just haven't found that second layer.
Q: What did you get out of your three-week scouting trip? [This was actually at the start of the interview...]
LOMBARDI: These guys (scouts and employees) are coming together quickly. I've always said that these guys were under the gun last year. They only had half a year, and you know how I feel about scouting and the importance of the way we do things. I was really happy with the way they've come along. It took me three years in San Jose to get that staff where I wanted it. I'm not saying that's the best way to do it, but there's certain ways you want things down. When these guys get up to speed, we'll get it done sooner in terms of how we do things. It was very productive. It was probably one of the more productive three weeks I've had.
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J.P. Hoornstra writes about NHL and IHL hockey for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group. He welcomes any and all dialogue on the finer points of hockey.
E-mail J.P. at jp.hoornstra@inlandnewspapers.com.
Jill Painter joined the Daily News in 2000 and during the last eight years she's covered the Dodgers, Cal State Northridge, UCLA, Kings, golf and everything in between. Even though she's from Colorado, she still freezes in the Staples Center press box but always manages to thaw her fingers in time to make deadline. E-mail Jill at jill.painter@dailynews
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Vincent Bonsignore is a sports columnist for the Los Angeles Daily News. E-mail Vinny at vincent.bonsignore
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I am very, very, very happy that DL is our GM! Always have been! My only concern is with Crow, who I am not sure can teach young guys how to play together and grow together! Basically I am not sure how well Crawford can teach the game of hockey!
From reading this awesome interview, the best that I can decipher is that DL is happy with Crow and is busy trying to get him as many talented players to come out of our organization!
I have nothing but the utmost respect for Dl! It Crow that make me uncomfortable. I guess all I can do is sit back and hope he really can make this team into a Stanley Cup contender.
Thanks for this interview Rich, and thank DL for all of us fans in giving us all of his updates as to how hard he is working for this organization!
Rich,
is there any way we could get an .mp3 version of these interviews?
I generally don't do the asskisser, "you're the greatest, Rich" thing, but you did do a great job with this. It's just a shame that what you have to work with is so... pedestrian :)
Thanks Marc...I appreciate that very much.
As for a MP3, unfortunately nobody would want to hear it. The recording was done by holding my digital recorder up to my cell phone, which upon playback creates an awful, awful noise that is still ringing in my left ear. Next time, if it's an in-person interview, I'll record it properly.
Maybe I missed something in that interview. I thought you asked him abt the defense and he didn't answer that question and just went on to offence.
Satisfied with this person as our G.M.? Are you kidding me.
First of all, I can't believe that he has a law degree. I wonder if he eanred it from Tijuana.
Did he ever pass the Bar Exam? Who Knows. I can say this, he is full of excuses and not too many solutions. For an Attorney, he's definitely not articulate. His sentences and explanations sound like that of a street dealer. He uses too much slang.
As an attorney myself (eight years practicing in Ca.) I had difficulty following this interview. Sometimes I had to read each paragraph twice.
How can I have confidence in a G.M. who blows 1/5 of the salary cap ($10 Million) on Blake & Handzus. And all the produced is 2 goals (1 empty net) and a Minus-15.
How can I have confidence in G.M. after the McCauley & Cloutier debacle.
How can I have confidence G.M. when he doesn't acknowledge or see anything wrong with Crawfords coaching method.
How can I have confidence in a G.M. who has failed to fill the #1 spot on a hockey roster. GOALTENDING.
And it goes on and on. Lets face it. He's only done two things that are exceptional:
Jack Johnson & Patrick O'Sullivan. Everything else he's done, especially free agent acquisitions, are suspect at best.
I think he's the second worst G.M. in the league behind Kevin Lowe-life.
He'd be the third worst if Dave Taylor was still managing.
Good interview overall. You never expect a GM to give away all his cards and DL did not. But you can tell whats going through his mind.
DL has done his best to fill the team with talent. If some guys dont meet expectations that not DL's fault. He is not psychic.
Maybe if some of you "Kings fans" would start supporting your team instead of being so negative about everything, we would have a positive buzz around the team and start winning.
I understand having high hopes for you team but so much pressure has been put on this seasons Kings I dont think they could live up to all your expectations unless they went undefeated.
We are early into the season and the Kings have given us alot to cheer about and alot to cry about. And I have enjoyed every minute of it. GO KINGS !!
What do you guys want him to say? He could alienate his players and make things worse or he can give semi-good-semi-non-answers like he has, which is the only thing a GM can really do. He can't flat out say, "I have a problem with the way Crow coaches" or "I think my own signing was bad" to the general public. He can't do that.
And are we really bashing entire acquisitions based one 1/4 of the season? Clouter -- sure, he sucks. it was a bad trade and an even worse extension. McCauley was bad. But guys like stuart, nagy, etc. are all at most 1/4 of the way through their contracts. We have no idea how this is going to play out in the long run. As much as some of us don't want to admit it, these guys weren't going to come out and put buckets of pucks in the net immediately. It was going to take time to get everything working. I think Crawford has delayed the process with the constant line juggling, but it's still a process that takes time, it doesn't happen all in training camp. Especially when they had a shortened camp and a goofy start to the year.
@anthony
Did you see Cammi's contract after arbitration? ... The man has got skills in the debate room. He sounds like someone who can relate to the players better and like he is dumbing down his language and playing around.
Both McCauley and Cloutier were better players before they became Kings, especially McCauley prior to his injuries. Blake is a Kings franchise defenseman... While I agree his salary is rediculous, his numbers were great coming off from the Avalanche and is a possible jersey retiring player for the Kings but ultimately I would vote no for.
You are also forgetting that he has been like our #1 scout. He is trying to answer goaltending internally. He is responsible for Bernier. I think you are a little harsh on the guy :P
Anthony:
It's sounds like to me that you are obviously not happy with the direction that this organization is going! And from you rants, it sounds like you are about to have an ulcer from association yourself with this blog and the things that you read on it!
Have you EVER thought about going on a vacation???
Like I said, I am not happy with Crawford, but I also realize that there are only two things that I can do about it:
1. Stop watching and paying for Kings games!
2. Live with it!
For now I choose 2 and, after this year I will reevaluate my decision.
Thanks for asking the questions Rich - too bad Mr. Lombardi couldn't answer the questions asked.
Next time you get an interview, could you please ask Mr. Lombardi about the Sharks' Stanley Cup championship seasons - all of the research material I have found is obviously flawed because none list the Sharks as winning the Stanley Cup.
Most everything DL said had to do with building for the future and I don’t doubt that he has a plan. My concern is that he also had a plan to put together a team that was better than last year and could compete for a play off spot. This dose not look to be the case. It dose not seem to be because of a lack of talented players but rather the lack of working together as a team and a consistent 60 minute effort. This is the problem that we want addressed. He did not address if something will be done and when to correct what we produce on the ice today in the HNL. Our current roster should read like a dream team. We have a wealth of young talent such as Kopi, Fro, Brown, Cammy, Sully, JJ, Barbs and Zeiler. We have a wealth of veterans such as Blake, Thornton, Handzus, Nagy, Modry, Visnovsky and Army. We have proven defensemen such as Preissing and Stuart. We have grit and toughness in Ivanans and Calder and speed and Wilsie. Each of these players have proven in the past what they can do or they wouldn’t be here.
If these players can not or will not provide what they were brought here to provide then something needs to be done. If they are doing what they were meant to do then it is a matter of coaching. Either way, this is what needs to be addressed. We know you are building for the future and we don’t question that; but that is no excuse for the lack of effort and inconsistency we see far too often from the LA Kings. Is it the players who don’t inspire good coaching or the coaching that doesn’t inspire good play? When will we stop hearing excuses for what you didn’t do such as “we need to play better”, “ we just didn’t get it done”, “we need to go on the road” and so and start seeing something being done?
Oh relax anthony, we've been waiting for success, what's another year or three? I can wait, because it'll be sweet to get there. Call me an idiot in three years if I'm wrong, I'm prepared to take that risk.
Anthony, you seem to forget the many long term things Lombardi has done, Johnson and O'Sullivan aside.
He has drafted Jonathan Bernier. He has signed Ted Purcell, who is leading the AHL in points as a rookie (Gabe Gauthier is second in scoring). He has given us Oscar Moller, leading the WHL in goals. Hickey is playing excellent. Wayne Simmonds is tearing up the OHL. We have a plethora of upcoming draft picks.
He signed Brown to a six year extension at an affordable price. He gave Visnovsky an extension. He is giving Jason Labarbera his chance as a starter, and its yielding acceptable results.
He signed Ladislav Nagy, who has been quite effective for the majority of the games he's played. Criticize him for underachieving all you want, he is doing no worse than anyone else right now, and you could then say Lombardi was smart to only give him a 1 year "trial" contract.
Kyle Calder is the skilled grit we need back, and it was very present in the games leading up to his injury.
Think about the expiring contracts we have going after this year. Blake, Stuart, Dallman and Modry. Leaving a foundation of Visnovsky, Johnson and Preissing on defense. Thats awesome. Lombardi's been adding pieces as fillers and test subjects since he came here and he's weeding out the undesireables with time.
Up front we will have at least 2 roster spots opening up, with Thornton and Willsie leaving. Thats addition by subtraction, right there. I don't care who or what goes there, we're probably better for it.
Everyone criticizes Crawford for the team not gelling with him at times. It's the GM's job to find players he can work with and THATS WHAT HE'S TRYING TO DO. So let Lombardi build a dream team and then Crawford will look like a genius behind the bench.
Have to agree with PSP here. DL sure mentions San Jose a lot and hwo they did things there and different personnel they had. He had some success in San Jose, but he didn't win anything. I wouldn't speak with such bravado about something that ended up being not great. Maybe a good question could be what went wrong in San Jose?
Other than that, great interview. It's nice to have that kind of access to the GM. He can't be too candid.
I found the fact that by the end of the interview Lombardi was much more candid about the free agent problems than when you asked the question the first time very interesting. No doubt that he is most challenged in this area of expertise.
Secondly I find that there seems to be a forest and trees issue. Do they really believe that a team that has half the players on any night playing what can only be described as "lackluster",is performing to expectation? And it isn't just one guy it has been everybody. This points directly at Crawford and the coaches. I just wish he would have backed Crawford 100%. Then I would know that change is nigh.
So season ticket holders are paying full big city US dollars for half effort, over-the-hill stop gaps, who know they're not supposed to win yet. That is a prescription for disaster in the very fickle entertainment market here in LA. Just this week someone came up to me and said that he couldn't watch the Kings anymore because they were so bad. "I'm starting to watch the Ducks". Think it's tough to juggle 2 balls? Just wait.
Red Light.....I couldn't have said it any better, excellent job.
Gord....You bring up a lot of great points, but my concern is...... we have a pretty good team on paper, and if you remember, all the reports at the start of the season had our goaltending as the only question mark for the team. Well, the goaltending has been pretty good, in fact, very good at times. So then, what is the problem? Coaching!!! Not getting the players to meet expectations (as DL even noted). Players out of position, the team playing like individuals, the team playing for only 20 minutes, maybe 40 minutes, of a 60 minute game (and I won't even mention the constant switching of lines). That is a COACHING problem. And if this coach can't handle the current team, I really question if he deserves a chance at coaching next years team (let alone the remainder of the season).
I don't mind waiting AGAIN but the problem is that this is the same line we've always heard, especially since they traded Gretz to St. Louis. This is just a new source you're hearing it from.
I see a lot of talented guys coming up so I'm optimistic and we all knew that we weren't contenders this season and were hoping for playoffs.
I just want to see some passion out of the players. A lot of games they're just going through the motions and that is the unacceptable part.
i agree with everything Gord just said.
Happy Thanksgiving, Kings fans. This year, one of the things I'm thankful for is this blog.
DL may not be saying what you want, but he is being accountable through availability. Which other GM has been out on the road for 3 weeks scouting this year? The man is working - give him a break. It's going to take more time, but at least you can see the development of the future in the recent picks.
Go Kings!
Dan H. - We are not hearing the same line over again. The Kings have NEVER had as much talent in their system as they do now. They are ranked #1 by many publications that grade prospect pools. O'Sullivan won Gold for the US in the Jr. World Championships, a first for this country. Johnson won Gold in the U-18 IIHF Championships. Oscar Moller was the Captain of Sweden's U-18 team. Bernier is in the top three of Canada's junior goalies. When have we had a 'top three in Canada' prospect at any position? And that is just the top layer. There are about 10-15 excellent prospects on their way. These kids are leaders AND winners.
In the past we had one or two 'intriguing' prospects. And that's it. No one wins with prospects but organizations do win by having a wealth of building blocks to start from.
Great job with the interview Rich, though DL was quite non-committal with his answers. He's in a tough spot and doesn't want to upset anyone in the organization.
What really troubles me about the team and the organization overall is the apparent "defeatest" attitude that permeats top to bottom.
It seems they are quite content with accepting that the team is "young" and therefore it's ok for them to screw up.
We as fans have been hearing this tune for the last two seasons so where does it end?
The prevalent culture right now is that we should just take what comes and one day these guys will be good??
But what about winning? What about pride?
As a comparison, take what Brian Burke has done in Anaheim. (some credit also goes to Brian Murray) He transformed what basically was a finesse team into a puck-possession monster and won a cup.
What is LA's identity? and how long will it take to develop it?
Read the LA Times LAK report today and see how many times Crawford says the word "young"
It's going get a lot worse my fellow fans so dig in and stock up on Tylenol...
I haven't been a huge fan of Crawford, but how is it his fault that Lubo and Blake are playing the worst hockey of their careers?
The team that he has is made up from some very talented young players, who need to continue to develop and a bunch of really lousy veterans basically stealing a paycheck.
This team will not win until the young players mature and become the team leaders. It's that simple. Just enjoy watching the young talent develop. There are no Gretzky's on the free agent market to transform this team into being an elite team.
I can't believe that he didn't take the opportunity to upgrade at goal with Bryz. I know that Phoenix grabbed him from the waivers, but I am told that the Kings could have had him for a conditional draft pick prior to him being put on waivers. Although it created a log jam at goal for Phoenix, I noticed that they didn't hesitate when given the opportunity. I just don't get it, but it seems as if they just don't care if they win.
Here we go--as a Kings fan for 36 years, believe me I've heard it all. Some advice for my fellow fans: last check, I'm not a major league GM, coach, or player. Outside of some Army Ranger games in Alaska, I've never played much hockey. I'm good at the fan-thing, but I leave the other roles to the people who are paid the big bucks. As far as I know, none of the other people posting here have much more experience in professional hockey than I do. With that said, I thought the interview with Mr. Lombardi (as all the others I've read) was great--honest, informed, and true to his job as #1 booster for the team. I too am not happy with Crawford's coaching, but I figure he knows more than I do. By the way, anthony, you were right about Lombardi's law degree, if by "Tijuana" you meant to spell "Tulane," as in one of the more prestigious law schools in the U.S. He specialized in labor law and started out as a players' agent. I don't know if you'd consider that to be a "practicing attorney." But as a "glass-half-full" person, I see Lombardi as a man who respects the long-suffering Kings fans, is building (perhaps too slowly for some minds) a winner, and possesses a vision that will eventually bring big dividends. And whenever I get too wrapped up in the game, I step back and remember that hockey is not the most important issue in the world. Just ponder the suffering and anguish in other parts of the world and put hockey into perspective as the diversion it is.
I think Deano believed this could be a playoff team before the season started. Now, like the rest of us, is realizing that we've still got a ways to go. Of course he can't say he's unhappy, but ultimately he is rebuilding, so SHOULD we complain? I dont know...
It would be interesting to know WHEN Deano thinks this will be a playoff team, lets see a comittment on that.
Well after reading so much nonsense and wanting to reply, deacon blue hit it quite nicely. Aside from a few other posts, that was the most rational response on here. Go Kings!
Props to deacon blue. You hit the nail right on the head
I agree with deacon blue in that Lombardi respects the Kings' fans and is aiming for what we all want, the Stanley Cup. The building process can be very frustrating at times, but it will work. As long as DL sticks with his plan - build from within through the draft and signing young free agents and giving the players time to develop - I am with him 100%.
"we have a pretty good team on paper, and if you remember, all the reports at the start of the season had our goaltending as the only question mark for the team."
Well I don't know if I'd go that far.
The defense had question marks in terms of defensive, and physical play. Looking at the defense, you saw what seemed like a mobile, puck moving group. That was supposed to be the strength, and it hasn't been.
The offense was counting on young guys that hadn't proven it year after year, and none of them have a moment of playoff experience. They brought in some free agents with up and down careers on some bad teams.
The Kings had, and have, plenty of question marks in every aspect of the game.
Deacon Blue and Gord seem to me to make the most sense on the Kings status and DL's direction. I can't agree with you two more.
Patience and a plan are two things that DL seems to have that previous Kings GMs and owners did not have.
I am willing to stick with him and the Kings!
Maybe DL should spend a little more time traveling with the Kings instead of spending three weeks on the road scouting. I know he's "hands on" but you have to delegate to your scouts.
I would think DL's presence with the Kings might generate a little more accountability and effort from the players and coaching staff. What do you think?
Lombardi is doing the same thing he did when he was with the San Jose Sharks.
No championship came out of that.