Lombardi questions

It looks as if Stoll is signed (per Sportsnet.ca). Being that he has seniority in the league, how much is Stoll's contract a comparison for what O'Sullivan is looking for?

Is Richardson penciled in for the big club? Giving up a second round pick in a deep draft for the guy leads me to belive you think very highly of him. What does he bring to the Kings?

Will Sully and Stoll be signed by training camp??

Are you being restricted in spending by your choice, by management or because no one will sign here?

What is going on with O'Sullivan?

How do you expect to compete with the Pacific Division which arguably all got better this offseason while we switched out Blake and Visnvosky for Green and maybe Stoll?

Will the Kings ever again start a season with one bonafide goalie in net?

1)O'Sullivan O'Sullivan, O'Sullivan.....

2)Are we still looking to make a deal for an experianced d-man or are we going into camp with spots open for 2 rookies? (Not including Harrold)

thanks for this rich,
1) is DL going to pursue another Dman before the season starts or is he happy with what we have?
2) the everpersistent question about sully and stoll
3) Does he feel that he needs to see improvement in the team this year in terms of at least battling for a playoff spot, improved defense in order to keep his job?

Will these questions be asked at the GM Breakfast?

Questions...hmmm...

Any surprises at development camp?

Thoughts on D'Orazio and the other guy added to the rookie roster?

Why have we never seen DL and Anthony in the same place at the same time? "Lois Lane, that's the craziest idea you've ever had..."

Favorite Beatle?

Is he actively seeking veteran "D" via trade or free agency or is he waiting to see how the kids pan out come pre-season before he decides to go that route?

I had a question:

Mr. Lombardi, you often speak about building a reserve list and developing young talent. At the conclusion of this summer's draft we appeared to have stocked talent in every position but we failed to sign any significant free agents or add to the glaring weaknesses of this team which are defense and goaltending. Now that the reserve list is stocked,why did you choose not to bring in any veteran help on defense in an attempt to ice a competitive team as opposed to flooding the defense with young unproven talent. Why not take a solid shot at winning this season while letting our future develop in Jr.'s and the AHL?

How does he propose to remedy the defensive we seem to be running into this preseason? Does he bring up more prospects and throw Doughty and possibly even Teubert into the fray or even worse rush Hickey or does he sign/trade addition defensemen this month before opening night? Will he acknowledge if there are any deals up his sleeve before opening night or at least before November?

What does he think the impact will be on O'Sullivan after enduring such a long extension process? What does he think about the rumors describing him as being too harsh on negotiations and putting labels on players before they are even signed like "bridge player" and does he think that affects the interest of UFA's looking to join the club?

Who impressed him the most at the developmental camp?

What were his impressions of Teubert and Doughty and does he see them competing for a roster spot and would he be ok having both on the roster?

Did he see the improvement in Bernier's play during the developmental camp that he was looking for?

I’ll try to ask this at the breakfast but if I don’t get a chance:

My question is a quick three-parter. Specifically, how do you think you’ve done as GM of the Kings? What can or could have done better? And where do you see this team next year and the year after in terms of taking the Kings through the next stage in the rebuilding process.

Also, does he have any feeling about Nagy and Modry’s comments earlier this summer about not wanting to be fillers or spots on some team but rather wanted to prove themselves. DL often uses terms like bridges, fillers, etc… and knowing that all of these players are literate, I want to know if he feels that he should be that blunt about his players when talking about the team in depth because it obviously might upset said player knowing his role on the team is not that of great importance.

Does DL think the Kings are lacking in toughness up front? We have lost Avery, Kostopolous, Thornton, and Mair over the past 5-6 years and not replaced them. Ivanans and Brown are the only guys up fron who play with an edge...Hopefully Boyle makes the team and shows he can play meaner...

Ask if he thought that they could lose the two Russian draftees to the new Russian league if they did not sign them this Summer?

Players he thinks could surprise fans this camp/season?

How he spent his Summer vacation?

Hi Rich,

I am so exited about the start of the hockey season. And more importantly having your blog to come to on a daily basis to check out what is going on with the kings. Your blog is incredible and definitely appreciated immensely.

If you can ask the following questions to DL regarding:

1_ Is he looking to add another experienced defenseman on the blue line to help out the
youngsters.

2_ Is he looking to play Boyl at center only or perhaps move him to the wing.

3_ Are the Kings going to be physically tough enough this year to keep up with the tough Western conference

4_ Are the kings going to carry 3 golies or 2.

5_ Will the line combinations change this year.

Thanks for the opportunity to ask these questions.

Roger

Rich,

Here's another question...if he has a response to this.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/sns-ap-hkn-nhl-russian-league,0,6488583.story

ok so the Kansas City thing is perhaps old, but, what is the story?.....no O'sullivan, trade Cammalleri and vishnovsky, let Blake go...and Modry.... all of our captains,(has that ever happened in the history of the league ( in fact in any league). Prices are being raised, we are not near cap floor 3 weeks before training camp, our team is essentially a minor league team, AEG is selling part of the team, and still no goalie.
well, I am sorry, but something is up, and I would like him to tell us what it is. I still contend the team is moving to KC, but if not that then what the heck is the story.

-How soon will you start negotiating with JJ and Kopi.
-If you wait until free agency, does it worry you that other teams may make qualifying offers to them.

Thanks

How big of a concern was Stoll's concussion when making the deal for him?

If we finish in the bottom 5 again, will there be a big push to start making some major changes, or does ownership understand we are still a rebuilding team and are, I dont want to say content, but tolerable of the team being in that position?

Do you feel that we got an even trade for Cammalleri's trade value a 1st/3rd? Was it the case of get something before he leaves for free agency and of course to have the chance to draft in this years deep draft?

How does he plan to replace Vishnovsky's ability to quarterback the powerplay? Doughty/Johnson, Stoll/Preissing?

When do you think Moller and Simmonds will be ready to step up onto the big club, how is their development coming?

I would like you to ask DL what he has done, or is doing, to assure the young core of players that he attends to be competitive as soon as possible? How is he going to convince Kop and O'Sul to keep the course, when we all see more bottom end finishes, in the next couple years? How is he going to keep the young studs happy, as well as making sure they WANT to stay and play in L.A.

Thanks Rich! My questions are as follows:

1) Was he surprised at free agents' lack of interest in joining the Kings, and do we have a realistic shot at attracting talent next summer if we finish near the bottom of the league again this season?

2) Where does he plan to focus his energies once the season starts? Is he focused on (i) next year's draft, (ii) player development, (iii) organization development, or (iv) improving the NHL roster via trades? Dean will probably say "all of the above", but I'm hoping his answer will reveal whether he is writing off this season completely.

3) Is he generally satisfied with our reserve list?

4) What are the four best things he's done as GM of the Kings, and what are the four worst?

My own answer to #4 is as follows (in no particular order):
Best -- Trading for Sully, stockpiling at least three young goalies with true NHL potential, wangling two top-13 picks in last year's draft, and rehabilitating/trading Avery.

Worst -- Signing Cloutier, not firing Crawford last winter, letting Blake go for nothing, and fostering a losing atmosphere around the team.

Actually I left a couple of items off of my list of best and worst moves by Dean Lombardi:

One of his best moves was the trade for Jack Johnson.

One of his worst moves was the slapdash signing of multiple free agents last summer. I supported those signings at the time, but clearly they didn't pan out. It later came to light that we gave $16 million to Handzus when he didn't have any other offers.

Since I like Handzus and his signing seems to come up a lot here, I have a question both for DL and for everyone posting:

At what point would you feel Handzus was earning his money? What's the benchmark? Is there any way in which he's worth it if he's only a third line (checking/shut-down) center? [I think most fans would say no.] He's had three twenty goal seasons; if he scores 20 again, will DL (or the fans) put him in the "good signing" category? What if he scores 30?

Me, I'm hoping for 25 goals from him this year. But I'm curious what DL's benchmarks are (if he would even share them; if not, to what degree does he think in those terms?).

Quisp,

I liked Handzus a lot back in his St Louis days, and I don't think he played that poorly last year. However, part of a GM's job is to spend his dollars wisely, and in retrospect it's clear that we could have signed Handzus for far less than $16 million.

You bring up an excellent question, however. At today's salaries I think Handzus needs to score about 20 goals (and play his usual strong defense) to earn his salary. He won't accomplish that playing on the third line, so I guess he really needs to be on the second line to justify his contract.

We kept hearing about how dedicated he is and how hard he works, but quite honestly I didn't see that in the latter part of the season. He didn't seem to be pushing himself on the ice at all.

Mark my words, though. We traded most of our whipping boys from last season and Handzus could very well become Scapegoat #1 if the team struggles again this season.

What is the benchmark for success this year? So far King fans and YOU, Rich, have given him a free pass for NHL success. He's had two PITIFUL years. He never set an expectation so he never failed. Will he set an expectation for this year? Playoffs? 80 points? 90 points? Anything concrete? Anything that can be measured?

I don't think it's fair to criticize Rich for not unloading on Dean Lombardi. Rich does a great job of making his feelings known without alienating Kings management. Moreover, we all benefit from the access he has gained by being fair in his reporting.

Rich probably also understands that every GM in the league is far more capable of running a team than a mere reporter or fan. No matter how bad things have been, I don't think any of us could have done better.

Without a doubt, Dean Lombardi is one of the 30 smartest people in hockey. Unfortunately, the 29 guys ahead of him are all running other franchises.

You don't have to attack Lombardi to get him to set MEASURABLE goals. There's no reason for Dean NOT to answer questions about his expectations for the future. Put his feet to the fire. It is YEAR 3 after all.

Anonymous -

I over-reacted to your first point about Rich and forgot to mention that I agree entirely with your more fundamental comment. We do need Dean to tell us what he expects, so we can judge if he is succeeding according to his own criteria. He certainly hasn't succeeded under mine, which is fielding a competitive team night after night even while rebuilding.

Also, Lombardi has an annoying habit of talking around issues rather than dealing with them directly, so to the extent Rich can frame his questions in a way that requires specific answers the better off we'll be.

why do we have 5 third line centers (Handzus, Boyle, Armstrong, Richardson, and Stoll) yet, only 3 NHL defesemen (Johnson, Preising, and Greene) not including rookies?

Rich, thanks again for wading through all this and taking our concerns into consideration. This really is one of the best and most unique aspects of your blog.

Common sentiments worded my own way I guess-

- Having spent much time elaborating on the importance of patience in the development of prospects, how much has that attitude changed or adapted with the new direction of the team or conversley how do you plan to reconcile this philosophy with, to paraphrase, "going with youth this season," if that view of prospect development has not changed?

- Also, many people wonder about an internal cap. It is clear that spending big is not part of the plan THIS season. When does that change? To be more specific, is there an internal cap for now AND in the future? Basically, when the time comes to spend is ownership going to be willing? If not, how do you plan to contend with this?

- Which brings me to my question. You often mention seeking out UFA's when there is a final piece of two to add. If you were to take a semi-conservative guess, what year do you think that will be? Obviously the easy answer is when the team is ready, but there has to be a goal. What is the timetable on that goal?

- To piggy-back off JonG's comment that the framing of a question is ever so important, so many fans are hoping for the acqusition of an experienced defenseman and some a goalie.

Are you targeting anyone? Is there one or possibly several NHL talents that are on your radar? If so, have you actively pursued them as of yet, or are you waiting and if so why?

Some questions I haven't seen yet -

- Is there a player on the team you would like to see captain? Will you leave that entirely up to Terry Murray or will you have some say in that decision?

- Can you tell us a little about the decision to let Coach Johnston go?

- There has been much talk about the new-CBA NHL having virtually eliminated the 'second contract' for young players because of the earlier UFA years and such. Clearly you and Jeff Solomon are striving to reconcile with this in negotiations with O'Sullivan, often talking about comparable players. When it comes time to negotiate with Kopitar and Johnson, especially Kopitar, having been top of this team his first two seasons and most likely in his 3rd as well, does the desire or necessity as Brian Burke would have it for a 'second contract' still apply to these types of elite, team leading players?

While I can't expect you to divulge your cards you keep close to your chest so well, which I commend you for, it would do tremendous things for the fan base if there could be some confirmation that these players will be treated as life-time Kings when negotiating their next contract. Can you assure us that at the least Kopitar will be tried to signed for as long as humanly possible.

In a nutshell - Are you adverse to the highly long term deals of Lecavelier and others?

Thank you again Rich, sorry to add so many words to your already heavy reading load! Can't wait for the interview, you always do the best ones!

Why do we have 5 third line centers in (Handzus, Boyle, Stoll, Armstrong, Richardson) ?

Why does our D pairings look like:

Johnson- ???
??? - ???
Preising-Greene

This is why I did not renew Dean!

Thanks for the fantastic work Rich, Question for Mr. Lombardi: How is depth of the Kings look to him presently? I feel we've made huge strides overall. If Manchester has a good team/year does Dean see that adding to the Kings possible future success?

Just some questions to find out more about Dean on a personal level. Everyone else seems to be asking the same questions I would already about the Kings.

1) How often does Dean get to see his family during the season and off-season ? From Rich Hammond's interviews with head scouts Mark Yannetti and Michael Futa, he seems to demand many long hours of himself and his staff.

2) Does he ever get away from the game of hockey for any extended period of time and if so, what does he do for hobbies ? Trip with the family, golf, etc...

3) He seems to be influenced by baseball's farm system and the book Moneyball. What else has influenced his approach to managing a hockey team ?

I am sure you are aware that most fans wish AEG would sell the team to an owner that actually cares about the on-ice performance. How would DL rate AEG as an owner?

Can you ask Dean if he knows anything about this whole Kings to Kansas City stuff. I read it on almost every hockey site I go on that they might relocate there or split home games their and here.

Rich,

Can you please ask Dean to project the Kings final record at the end of the season. Please don't let him dodge the question, I'd like his actual numbers. Thanks for all the effort.

Rich, Can you ask Dean why he didn't make a harder push to get Jason Smith? He fits what the Kings need, he is tough, CHEAP, good D-man, and the team leader we need for such a young team.
Thanks Rich

Rich, if you get the chance, tell him that for the most part, I like what he's doing with the club. There are at least a few people out here who don't think he's the devil's spawn.

JDM had some great ones a few posts above.

I'm interested in our locked-up centers and what it means for the future. We have Stoll for 4, Handzus for 3, and I'm assuming Anze is being worked on for something longer term than either of those guys. We've got young guys looking to establish themselves in Boyle and Richardson, and I don't think the 4th line is where they should be doing that. Then we've got Army...

I know guys will be competing for spots, and that's not a bad thing, but realistically how does this shake out? What's on the big board? Are a few of these guys going to play at wing, or is there a trade coming?

As far as defensemen and teams over the cap, do you have an idea of what moves other GMs will make as training camp comes around and the regular season starts? I'm sure you've had the lines open with several GMs and have a list of possible moves, but is there anything or anybody in particular that you're hoping comes calling when they need to shed salary?

Eric, re centers:

I realize I'm not DL, but it's still not hockey season, and I can't stop myself...

Kopitar, Stoll, Handzus, Boyle are the four centers. Armstrong is a spare, might play wing, might get traded, might go to Manchester (a la Klemm; but I doubt it kind of, since injuries have a way of affecting things). Richardson, I believe, also plays wing and so will be looked to on the right side of the third or fourth line, along with Ellis. The pipeline of centers is, more or less in order: Trevor Lewis, Bud Hollway, David Meckler, Bryan Cameron, Robert Czarnik, Brady Murray, Andrei Lokitonov, Kevin Westgarth, Gabe Gauthier, Garrett Roe and Justin Azevedo -- of which maybeLewis is ready this year, probably next year (he can play wing, as well, I believe).

It's reasonable to assume that at some point in the next two years, Handzus will move on -- sooner if he has a great season this year; I can see DL trading him in order to maximize return. This would be an especially good idea if Lewis is ready and Stoll pans out.

Lokitonov is a bit of a wild card. I'm interested to see how he is at camp.

As far as defensemen: there's obviously the Schneider situation; Anaheim may have to move him and the Kings are one of the few teams (though there are others, e.g. Montreal) that can afford him and need someone like that right now. And there was just a story recently that had Ken Holland saying he was probably going to have to move a defenseman. I wouldn't be surprised to see one or both of those situations impact the Kings in the next week or so.

I would be shocked if DL would say anything about who he would like to have or who he is pursuing.

Again, sorry for responding to your DL question. Like I said, I'm suffering from withdrawl. I keep clicking on the tsn link hoping to see Kings new and I'm getting nothing in return...

It is 36 days, 4 hours, 35 minutes and 51 seconds until Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 7:00:00 PM (Los Angeles time)

I second, or third the question:

- What is Lombardi's prediction for points at the end of the season?

Also, I have some of my own:

- Since the trade deadline in March, the Kings have lost 7 NHL calilber starters (Blake, Cammalleri, Visnovski, Stuart, Nagy, Modry, and Thornton), 9 if you count Guliano and Zeiller. As there were no free-agents signed, after Stoll, Greene, Gauthier, and possibly Richardson, who will replace these starters in the lineup for the duration of the season?

- Why wasn't Marc Crawford fired much, much, much earlier?

- Why does Lombardi think he's not been fired after overspending on free-agents with no return, and bottoming out in the league since being hired? Does this speak to a "culture of success?"

cheers

Does Dean Lombardi have an LA Kings tattoo (Figuratively, of course, in the sense he always refers to it as)?