Lombardi interview
He talks about the trade and how the GM meetings are going in Florida. He says trading Modry doesn't make it less likely that the team will move another defenseman. I also asked him about sending Boyle down. He seemed to be saying that he wanted Boyle to get playoff-run experience in Manchester rather than spending more time with the Kings in a lost season.
``Mo’s a good NHL player. It's the last year of his deal and, when you're in the situation we're in, again you look for futures. I think we got a fair price. It's just something you have to do at this stage, being where the team is at and where the player is at in terms of age and contract.''
On the GM meetings in Florida: ``All I can say is it’s shaping up the same way it's shaped up in the past. When you come to the meetings, basically everyone does some sketching. As far as applying cement, it usually doesn't happen until closer to deadline. We're going along the same path. As far as busy, it’s more busy sketching at this stage than closing.''
On if trading Modry makes it less likely to move another defenseman: ``No. The reality is, where we’re at, we're building a reserve list -- and that includes picks and young players. That has to be the focus. We're the last team in the league. We're in this situation where we have to -- I don’t want to say turn a negative into a positive -- but we have to use this situation to a positive as best as we can. I don’t think you can make that statement that if we move one defenseman, we're not going to move another.''
On sending Boyle down: ``I think Brian did real well but, what's showing up in what we're evaluating, it's one thing to play in the league and another to be a winner in the league. When we're breaking in young players, it's not just seeing goals and assists. We're looking at other things. He did a very good job, no doubt about it. We're very pleased. But, as far as training, I think there's things he still has to work on and it needs take place at this stage in minors. We're very happy with the progress he made but part of doing things right is critiquing what he did here and understanding that the next time up here we don’t want you playing on team that's out of the playoffs. He needs to learn to be a winner, and part of it has to be done in the minors.''
KINGS TRADE MODRY TO PHILLY 4 3rd Round pick WHAT A STEAL!
hmmm, last year Rob Blake made it clear he wanted to stay with the Kings. then later that week, Matty was traded.
And when Dean Lombardi gives smart answers, he gives VERY smart answers. Obviously being in the same room with 29 other NHL GM's suits him well :)
I'd be curious to learn what weaknesses Boyle is perceived to have.
Don't dance around it, this was a perfect oppurtunity to discuss Blake's situation.
Can he still be dealt? Does Lombardi's response not indicate that he would like to trade Blake? Is Blake's unwillingness to be traded factor into contract negotiations for next year?
I honestly don't think that Mr. Lombardi best fits the LA Kings. The kids down in Manchester will never be able to grow or mature in the NHL with back and forth traveling from the East to the West coast. Throwing the kids in the mix and letting them run with it now that the season pretty much useless is how he should correctly manage the rest of the season. Yes, I don't have his resume, but look at Phoenix. They've struggled, but the young ones are maturing and playing some pretty decent hockey. Not only do we have to wait till they mature in Manchester, but what another few years when they finally make it to the NHL?
If Blake can't skate, there's no way he's getting traded. So it's no-go this season.
Thanks Matt!
Best wishes to Modry!
Lombardi NOT a great fit for the Kings? You can't be serious. Brother, DL is a great fit for any team in the NHL. Sending Boyle down was not an indication, as you can plainly read, of anything he is doing incorrectly. It's simply that DL wants him to learn to be a winner, to play with a team that has something to play for. Just another high-end piece to add to this team, as we move forward. Great situation for us to be in. And DL is largely responsible.
It's difficult to watch this team, however, wanting to see them play well (the way they have over the past fifteen games or so), and also wanting them to b a r e l y
lose, so we maintain our draft position. Look at all these picks in 2008! We are coming upon a new, elite era in Kings hockey.
Just please, Dean, don't trade for any boobs like Emery.
Anonymous, you are just being a pessimist. That process you describe worked wonders with O'Sullivan. We're not going to have to wait very long at all until we see Boyle, Purcell & Harrold with the Kings full time(& maybe Tukonen if we let the process work itself out). We also want Manchester to be a good hockey club as well so we can grow these kids in a winning environment. OH & Phoenix sucked BAD for YEARS; we're only in month 20 of our rebuild. Patience...
TweenerSongs....Right on! Well said....DL, tough position? Nah, I don't think so. Last place, sure. Lots of young players coming up, yes. One of the deepest organizations in terms of young talent? I think Hockey News rates LA 5th overall. Painful to watch, of course. Lots of draft picks the next couple of years including a possible 1st this year? Just makes your mouth water, albeit painful to see if your a Kings fan.
Let's see - Lombardi needs five full years to see his complete rebuild come to fruition. Maybe they will be as good as Phoenix and San Jose by then, maybe not. Plenty of other teams building just as strong "reserve list" as the Kings. DL is not the genius everyone thinks he is.
How many of the Kings young forwards were acquired by Lombardi? Do the Kings have a Number 1 goalie, a glaring need for the past few years, after two years of Lombardi? How about those great free agent pickups like Cloutier and Nagy?
Kwame
Great posts Tweener & John. At least some people around here can keep a level head when it comes to DL and LA. And congrats to PHX for playing their youth, and maybe they make the playoffs, maybe they dont. I think what you some people are forgetting tho, DL "5 year plan" is not about hoping to make the playoffs. Its about dominating in the regular season every year to compete for the cup year in and out ala Detroit. He is trying to build a perennial winner in LA, something we have never had here. He wants the kids to get winning experience so that when they come up to LA, they are ready to lead the Kings. When they come up they can't just support the star players, they have to become the star players and that doesnt happen for most players three quarters into your first season in the minors. And there aren't as many teams as you think who have the talent and depth that we have in our prospects pool. Just more of that to come in 2008. And just because we have all these prospects, doesnt mean at some point in time, we wont be able to flip those guys for established players while still having prospect depth.
The only weakness boyle had was keeping us from losing.
DL basically used the same plan in San Jose and how many Cups did they win? How
many assets does he have on defense? Look at his drafts in San Jose 96-02 and see how many impact players he drafted-not all that many.This team has shown little to no improvement over last year.
The jury is still very much out on him and his track record is he has never had a team get out of
2nd round so I would hold off on proclaiming him a
genius or saying that the Kings are going to be the Wings in 2 or 3 years. There is a lot of luck involved in winning the Cup. Right now the Kings best players were drafted by Dave Taylor so we will see in the next couple of years. I know that that his
FA signings so far have sucked and he overpaid for
Handzus.
could it be that Dean doesn't want these players losing a year of eligibility in terms of arbitration. i'm not too sure what the rules are but from what i've heard, if you play 10 games in a NHL season that counts as a year of NHL hockey experience to your credit. and i think Dean doesn't want that happening. he wants more of fixed rate on thier contracts (for future salary cap reasonings) and i also think he wants to get a legit full year of NHL experience, not just a crappy 10 games. it sucks for the players but its good for business.
tsaiguy said:
How many of the Kings young forwards were acquired by Lombardi?
Matt Moulson, Teddy Purcell, Patrick O'Sullivan, Wayne Simmonds, Oscar Moller...
I can't belive some of you still can't see what DL's plan is. He is rebuilding this pathetic franchise from the ground up. We have sucked for 40 years. Is it that nobody can see that? Haven't we learned our lesson that the quick fix doesn't work? Do we not remember that we drafted Larry Murphy, a hall of fame player, and dumped him for old washed up players in hopes for the quick fix?
I don't want to just make the playoffs as an 8th seed and get bounced quickly. I want this team to be built for runs at the cup. That starts with developing elite talent. There is no guarantee that we will ever win the cup, it takes luck, but you want to be in the position of having a top team to make that run. What he did in SJ was build a team that was talented enough to make a push for the cup. They didn't get there because they didn't get lucky in the playoffs, not because they didn't have the talent.
The goaltending issue will hopefully be resolved with Bernier. All scouts say his ceiling is unlimited. Who the hell says that about Emery? Wasn't Chekmanik SUPPOSED to be a top goalie? How did that work out? Teams don't trade valuable assets for the sake of trading them or helping the Kings out. They know what's wrong with their guys before we do. You always know what you have, not what someone else has. The last time we got a "top" player from Ottawa was Preissing. He was a +40 with them. How's he doing here?
I'm willing to give DL the time necessary to build this franchise into an elite franchise no matter what. The alternative is what we've had for the last 40 years.
IMO...I dont like the idea of sending Boyle down for MORE AHL experience. I say keep him up to get his teeth in the NHL. Learn the speed of the game. So coming into training camp next year he will know what it takes to make the roster. I know he isnt getting the desirable minutes on the power play or PK or being on a losing team but it is still getting his chops in the NHL. He isnt getting any younger. Next year he will be 24 still with the rookie lable. F*** that. Then it will be "well he is still just a rookie and developing". He was drafted in the same year Brownie.Lets get the NHL career going already. Get out there and get in the NHL games.
This is Bob McKenzie with TSN.CA
tsaiguy you also forget that Lombardi was the guy who traded scrap for Jack Johnson. What magic trick did Dave Taylor ever pull?
Modry come back. Any kind of fool could see. You were robbed, and we just can't live without you. Modry come back...
Jimmy Z,
Great posting. It is always important to keep the business/salary cap impact in mind when analyzing Dean-O's decisions. Overall, I liken Lombardi's hockey management paradigm to that of Darcy Regher's with the Buffalo Sabres. They both have placed a premium on acquiring as many good, skilled, young forwards as possible. Remember how badly Buffalo sucked until they went on their great runs of the past couple seasons? Things will come around for the Kings with time. I just hope that AEG does not handcuff Dean when it comes to paying out the salaries that it takes to retain the young stars when they reach RFA and UFA status - unlike the Buffalo Sabres...
metalmaniac said:
"I would hold off on proclaiming him a
genius or saying that the Kings are going to be the Wings in 2 or 3 years"
Where did I say any of that? I dont think DL is a genius, but he is a helluva lot smarter than Dave Taylor, Sam McMaster, or Nick Beverly as far as GM's go. Name me one GM in the league who is as honest with the media and fans as DL has been with LA. DL has a plan, and I dont know if it will work in LA or not, but we have to start somewhere, and it seems to me we've got a solid foundation of youth with nowhere to go but up.
I also never said the Kings would be the Wings in a couple years. I was trying to point out what the ultimate, best case scenerio of what DL is trying to build here. Some of you just cant see the big picture, and I really cant blame you after all the losing. This team has never been a perrenial contender...ever! I dont want to make the playoffs every few years and get bounced. I want this team to grow up with each other and win together, and hopefully be a contender for the cup every year. If I have to put up with 2 or 3 more years of losing, waiting for the youngsters to gain experience and grow up, then so be it. Because I believe the outcome will be worth it.
Tito, at least get the lyrics right
Boyle's main weakness is he can only play 2 positions in the NHL. bottom line we need him in goal every 5th game too. and pick a fight now and then, sell some peanuts and foam fingers and work the McDonald's stand during Laker games. until that happens sorry.
j/k I hope he does well and wins a lot more games in Manchester... and it's nice we finally pulled the trigger on a deal. got rid of the main scapegoat too
It's my opinion that Boyle's biggest problem is skating speed, quickness off the start, and therefore positioning and hitting. Given enough time and space, he can go fast. But because he's slow on the start, he's late for the hit and for getting into position. He works on speed and quick starts, the rest will follow.
Hey Matt, since DL is always talking about managing his assets, ask him about T.J. Fast. 2nd rounder a couple of years ago and having a pretty decent season in Tri-Cities in the WHL. I know he started in NCAA but I'm wondering if we only have his rights until this summer. Might want to sign him and add him to the reserve list me thinks.
Looks like Anthony has turned to "anonymous" postings for his bizarro rants.
I'm hoping Modry has a strong finals run with Philly, he gave what he had every night for the Kings, I admire his professionalism.
DL is on the job, he's made a mistake or two but every time I read his comments I can see his thought process and agree with it. He's always juggling present with future and the unknown of player development, it can't be easy. Not every team wins the cup every year and while it seems as if making the playoffs isn't much to ask, that's been the Kings "prob" for years, never really bad enough results-wise to get that elite, game breaking talent that comes at the top of the draft. This team has big potential, look how well they've played lately coming back on Detroit and beating other strong teams. The diff between winning and losing isn't much, with a few extra strong players the Kings will be at that elite level for sure and then it's just a matter of getting "hot" right around playoff time..
Wow people.
THIS IS NOT THE NBA OR NFL.
You cannot rebuild a franchise in this league overnight. Lombardi took over a team that was in shambles, and it's going to take him a LONG TIME to rebuild it.
If you want instant gratification, then please, go to a Laker game, because the NBA is the league to get your instant win's. It's also the league to watch your favorite players jump from team to team within a year or two of them entering the league.
NHL players don't grow overnight. People...you think Pheonix is a juggernaut and good? THEY AREN'T EVEN IN THE PLAYOFFS!!!!
You want to point at Philly's turnaround overnight? Put them in the Western Conference, and they MIGHT make the playoffs. Mediocre goaltending, slow defense (that just got slower with the addition of Modry), and one line on offense. But hey, they locked themselves into Briere for 8 years, who after the 4th year won't be effective.
Know who Matt needs to ask DL about is Jeff Zatkoff.
He is having a great year with the Redhawks.
Get him into Manchester next year.
comments on hockeysfuter.com:
As starter in net, Jeff Zatkoff continues to resemble a brick wall, giving up only 1.63 goals per game on a .932 save percentage. Zatkoff is in his third season with Miami and has improved markedly with each season, immensely cutting down on rebound opportunities. The experience gained as the RedHawks stampede through the college schedule and into the NCAA tournament will only make Zatkoff a more competitive and developed player upon graduation and a viable candidate to compete for NHL playing time immediately.
Currently he has record of 20-5-1.
Don't worry about Boyle. Remember, DL only has 2 more games to showcase players for trades. After that all next year's players will be up in LA. Then his rhetoric will turn to, 'they need NHL-level ice time.' It's all spin. Chill.
TJ Fast left Univ. of Denver at the behest of DL. So, he knows how he is doing. Fast is doing well but is still raw. If he has another year to go before signing and entry level contract my guess is DL will wait until then to do it.
Also, I would ask that you all wish success for the Oilers. The Ducks hold their No. 1 pick so if they slide to last place...
important allusion Dean makes there. even with all these acquisitions and recent picks, building our reserve list which was the initial and #1 goal has yet to be fully completed. so that should serve as a reminder how early it is yet in this thing.
and even if the free agent thing didn't work out this time, we prob got some good out of it. Calder's not bad, Stuart's been coming around, we can finally get rid of Danny Boy soon, and our NHL youngsters got another year under their belt. next season will be the youth running rampant: the goal will be, IMHO to "contend" for a playoff spot with that core. then it's time to start rolling over people in 2009-10
Supersonic
I was not responding your to your post but only giving my own opinions.
There are a number of ways
to rebuild and only time will tell. I am just not
going to get carried with
Lombardi until I actually see some results on the ice. No poster up here (me
included) actually knows
whether any of these kids will actually become bona
fide NHL players in the future. What we do know is
that the top 3 forwards on this team were drafted by Taylor who may or may not
have been hindered by AEG.
The reality is that the product on the ice this year is really not too
different than it was last year and for awhile it did
look worse.Perhaps it is a
coaching problem and I think it is obvious that I
think Crawfish is not the
right coach for this group.
The next couple of years will tell the story if DL
has done a good job or not.
In two years if this is not a playoff caliber team
his job will probably be in danger. 40+ years of losing will dampen optimism.
have seen tj fast play for tri-cities....plays like a young, learning scott needer
The first word to the song wasn't right so perhaps I wasn't trying be true to the original. Oh brother.
ChrisH said:
"Hey Matt, since DL is always talking about managing his assets, ask him about T.J. Fast. 2nd rounder a couple of years ago and having a pretty decent season in Tri-Cities in the WHL. I know he started in NCAA but I'm wondering if we only have his rights until this summer. Might want to sign him and add him to the reserve list me thinks."
Because he was drafted as a college player, but ceased being a college player before graduation, we own his rights until the fourth June 1st after his draft year -- June 1, 2009.
We already have a logjam of prospects on defense that's forced some of them to be sent down to Reading of the ECHL so I'm not sure rushing to sign them before we have to would be such a good idea.
metalmaniac said
"The next couple of years will tell the story if DL
has done a good job or not.
In two years if this is not a playoff caliber team
his job will probably be in danger."
Absolutely agree with that. And I believe this team is a lot closer than a lot of people think. Its gonna take some kind of spark to get this team to the next level. A huge blockbuster trade or Bernier taking over in nets. Possibly a coaching change or any combination or that or something else. Obviously we have a huge hole at the no. 1 goalie position. Barbs has played adequate and has stolen a game or two this year, but is just not consistant enough to be a true #1. Our blueline will be rebuilt once again. I'm all for keeping Blake at a reduced rate for next year, but we really need a stud #1 Dman. Its key to take pressure off of Blake, Lubo, Johnson, et all. I would love to get Dan Boyle, but it looks like Tampa will resign him. More consistant secondary scoring is a must. We've seen flashes from the kids from Manchester, and they should be able to handle it next season except for #2 center. I dont think Boyle is quite ready for that job just yet.
DL has a lot of work to do, but if he can accomplished this and somehow shore up our pk unit, this would be a playoff team next year no doubt.
KB said it all boyle was keeping us from losing, look how good purcell looked and was sent down. Someone on hf boards pointed out that even MC couldn't keep them from winning and suddenly cloutier got better and was called up. We have a very good young team for next year but our first responsibilty is to get that number 1 pick and then watch DL go to work and turn cammy and dallas' pick plus other assets into a shot at schenn or one of those high ranked d-men, how much of a genius would he be if he could get stamkos and schenn/doughty/pietrangelo/bogosian. Stamkos comes in next year and say schenn in a year or two along with a full season of bernier and hickey.Like some others have said after 40 yrs. of half ass rebuilding lets give him some time and do it right........GO KINGS GO
Thanks for agreeing with me anonymous (whoever the
hell you are) LOL
Barbs has actually stolen
6-8 games this year but has
probably lost about the same with weak goals. He has potential to be good #2 guy. Most NHL teams are looking for secondary scoring and kings are deep at forward so they may have a leg up. TEAM defense must improve if they are going to become a
serious playoff contender.
THE D WILL SET YOU FREE
You guys are funny-you want what we have the CUP
Mix of veterans and young talent
We will be even better if
you guys can pass Oilers
and give us #1 pick
DL will fuk it up anyway if he gets it so let us
take Stamkos
Our backup G was better than anybody you had since
Felix the Cat hahaha
King fans can always look forward to 2 days a year
-trading deadline
-draft day
If you want to see the playoffs take 5 south
hey quckattack
eat sh*t and live.
and stay off our site. the only thing going south is the ducks future.
nykingfan
You should know all about
shit eating as a King fan
40+ years of shit eating
and more to come
If you think the Ducks are going south look at the
standings. Anaheim is as
close to L.A. as the cup
is ever coming
Shouldn't you be on Ranger
site anyway? They suck too
Quackattack = Troll
Loser,
What happened, did you get kicked off your own teams blog? Dude, the fact that you are here reading and blogging with Kings fans says all we need to know about you. You're either a closet Kings fan or a major league loser.
I guess all Dallas Cowboys fans only come from Dallas ha? By the way i'm from LI so it would have made more sense to say Islanders fan. What an a$$ go back under the rock you crawled out from.
Matt,
the above quote was from me to the loser quackattack.