Mid-November approval ratings

lombardi has assembled a competitive team and a great pipeline, so he has met or exceeded expectations.

murray has done well also, as the team has better defensive numbers across the board. but the offense is sporadic (maybe due to the constant line juggling?), and i can't help but think the team would have 4 or so more points if he hadn't been so stubborn about labarbera. still gave him a thumbs up, but not as convincingly.

DL has done a superb job at turning this organization into a potential contender for years to come. Never have I seen this team with so much depth at each position and it can only get better over time. Everyone who knows anything about the Kings, knew this season was going to be rough, but after the first 13 games, I have been pleasantly surprised at the level of competitiveness and willingness to stand up for each other.

As for TM, I think he has finally found solid line combinations that are working and it would appear that the entire team is drinking his Kool-Aid. The decision to finally plan Erik Ersberg over that flopper JLB could not have come at a better time. The team plays with more confidence and poise with Ersberg in goal, and he should remain in net and tagged as the #1 goalie. He proved he can play during the last month of last season and was only relegated to backup duties due to his illness in training camp this year with his limited playing/training camp time.

As a whole, I can't complain. So far, so good, and better than I had anticipated.

Some of Lombardi's transactions haven't been good, especially his free agent signings. And Murray anointing JLB the #1 guy before the year was a mistake. But it's hard to argue that this team isn't much better then it was last year. So for now, they get my "approval" vote.

May I have a glass of Kool-Aid and a pair of rose colored glasses please!

I approve of both.

DL gets an A because this is an incredible group of players he has drafted and traded for AND largely signed long term. He's given us a team that is fun to watch right now, can win some games and has infinite potential to be the greatest Kings team OF ALL TIME.

TM gets a B, the only knocks being the misuse of Moulson, playing Ivanans in a few too many games, playing Labs in 10 too many games and seemingly having some trouble getting Sully under control and to buy in to the system fully. All these problems can be easily fixed, and some already have been. If we were at or above .500 for two-three games in a row, he would get an A. Until then, a nice respectable B.

I agree with Paul.
DL's track record on trades and free agent signings have been an embarrassment to him and the organization.
In two season as kings GM, the team ended up 28th and 29th place. Hopefully that won't happen this season and the team might get some respect.

TM is even worse. The infatuation he has with a below average goalie would cause anybody to question his judgment and competence. Furthermore, his line combinations also raises an eyebrow. If he continues to screw up, some of his better players are gonna want a trade and play a coach who actually knows how to coach.

I can't truly judge their ability to do their jobs because I am not aware of all of the limitations that are put on them by their employers, but I don't think either are particularly intelligent, at least outwardly. In general, hockey has traditionally employed a bunch of beer swilling good ol' boys that grew up on a large sheet of ice in the frozen tundras out on the great Canadian plains... Times have changed, and more educated people have come onto the scene, and I know that Lombardi is from the States... but sometimes he comes across as indirect, indifferent, aloof and occasionally just plain evasive. If that's code for genius, so be it, but I'm often baffled.

As for Murray, he's instituted some systems that seem to be working, but his choice of personnel is occasionally baffling, and his treatment of O'Sullivan is still unconscionable (def: not in accordance with what is just or reasonable) in my opinion.

Is it OK if I answer in Feb ?

Murray is doing a great job primarily in having the team play hard and consistently be competitive, something perhaps we're under appreciating a little this year after the ups and downs under MC's reign.

Hard to be quite as happy about Lombardi, while he's done a good job overall there's been a few shocker FA signings. Time will tell, if the Kings continue to be competitive while increasing the talent level/depth of their system then he'll end up an "A", currently a "B-".

Anthony, can't you ever see some positives? It's idiotic to state that TM doesn't "know how to coach".

So far so good. The line combinations are a little wonky but I can see the reasons behind them (for the most part, I don't like the use of Ivanans though). Ultimately I didn't really have a problem with the goaltender use -- it went on too long with JLB when it ws clear he was lacking this year -- but he corrected his mistake. the defensive system is wonderful.

still a big lombardi fan. he's made some bad moves but he's been overwhelmingly positive for the future of the organization imo.

Link from the Dallas Morning news about Sean Avery facing off against Dustin Brown

http://starsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/11/more-insight-into-the-past-of-sean-avery.html

Rich;

Next time, try the poll after the Kings have lost two or three games in a row, rather than after they have won two.

please no more about Avery he will not mess with Brown Avery is the type to go after a rookie Simmonds or Moller thats the guys M.O

Thumbs up to both Murray and DL. This is the most exciting team we've seen in quite a while. We all are starting to see what the future will look like, and its a bright one. We can pick on some F/A pickups, but as far as I can see, DL hasn't screwed up any decision as far as establishing the core of this team. That's more important than wasting $$ on Cloutier and some of the other bad F/A signings. If you make a mistake in establishing your core players, it's almost impossible to get to where you need to go.

Murray also has done a good job. He came into the organization not knowing much about any of these players. Was it fair to expect him to be able to establish set lines 10 games into the season? He needs time to see what each player can bring to the team and where he thinks they fit best.
The players seem to have bought into the system 100%. Look at the defensive numbers SOG, GA, PK..etc can anyone honestly say that they thought this team would be capable of putting up those kind of defensive numbers? That's what happens when talented players buy into a good coaches system.
I remember prior to the season someone brought up what would happen if they dropped their GAA to around 2.75..would playoffs be a possibility? Most people who responded thought it was a pipe dream, but if that did happen, they agreed that we could compete for a playoff spot. I don't think it's that far-fetched anymore.

Anthony; in what way was that an "agreement" with Paul? He gave an approval rating. You bash as usual.
Just like you write before you think, you respond without reading what someone else has to say. Just like a lawyer.

I think DL has done a great job in the draft and building our depth in every position. This is a fun team to watch and the up side has no limit.

TM has put into place a system that any line combination can play and be successful. Even when we were all wondering what he was thinking with some of the line combinations, I think he's showing us that no matter what we can still be competitive. He seems to have found some combinations that he is happy with and his juggling is slowing down. and with that we will only get stronger.

anthony, stop beating a dead horse. DL came in for a complete rebuild. you don't do that by finishing in the middle of the standings every year. He made it quite clear what he was hear to do and how he was going to do it, we are now seeing a transformation in our team and most fans are excited at what they see because we can see the future and it looks real good. You on the other hand sit at home all day wondering why DL isn't doing it the way that coach did or why can't he do it the way that team did. Just because he has his own plan and doesn't do it the way somebody else did doesn't mean it wont work. So I say Relax, this has been the funniest team to watch in years, enjoy it, watch the progression and stop being negative about every single post Rich makes.

You promised us all that if things didn't change and DL & MC weren't fired you would go be a Ducks fan. Why are you still here.

Thanks Rich for all you do, Your the man...

Mark Hardy deserves plenty of credit too, the Kings defensive play in general has been very good and Doughty is certainly "coming along" as a quality NHL D-man..;)

Wonder what the poll results would've been right after the 5-game losing skid and before the back-to-back victories.

Lombardi saved his job, as far as I'm concerned, by drafting Doughty and bringing in Matt Greene and Stoll. Greene is an anchor back there, our new Matty Norstrom, and I can't believe Edmonton just lumped him into the deal for Visnovsky. Major kudos to Dean for bringing them in. Getting Quincey off waivers was also huge, but it's kind of a no-brainer that Detroit has a wealth of expendable talent. Getting POS for Demitra was a great move. I'm not an ardent fan of Jack Johnson. I wish he were a bit bigger and made better decisions. I think the hype builds him up, but he's young and it was still a good move to get him from Carolina. Thomas Hickey better be good enough to make the roster next year, or he wasn't worth the 4th pick overall. In addition, bringing in Crawford and Cloutier seriously damaged Lombardi's credibility. It set the franchise back two years in the development of what they're trying to accomplish. Kopitar, Brown, Frolov, and Bernier are not his guys. They're Taylor's. All in all, Dean's stock was down, but it has steadily risen with his most recent moves.

It's still a bit too early for TM. I like his more calm demeanor than Crawford's, as well as his ability to recognize when a goalie needs to sit and when another needs to play. Crawford's insistence on Beach Ball was infuriating. Murray's constant line-changing was frustrating but a result of trying to become more familiar with what he's got. I was also very pleased when he called upon Kopitar to step it up after the heartbreaker against Anaheim in OT, when it was clear Kopi should've won the game but instead fanned on the one-timer into the open net. So far, so good for TM.

You have to question the competence of Murray,the mishandling of the lines in specific, the offensive and defensive rolls of players on this team.I would also suggest that the Kings have just seen the easier part of their schedule.Lets see how this garbage works now going into a more realitic test.Furthermore he has lost O'Sullivan so you might as well trade him while his value is still high .

I agree with Ian. I strongly approve of Terry Murray, but I think the jury is still out on Lombardi.

I do like the job DL has done since draft day, especially (i) hiring Terry Murray, (ii) locking up Anze, (iii) addressing the lack of team cohesion from last year, (iv) picking up O'Donnell, and (v) solid draft day maneuvering. He even communicates more clearly now than he did in the past.

On the other hand, our decent start this season has not washed away the frustration of the past two years. I continue to maintain that it was not necessary to be so bad in order to be good in the future. Other than Drew Doughty, every other prospect we've brought in could have been acquired with a middle-of-the-pack finish.

Marty,
I'd rather lose Murray than POS. But losing POS is almost a sure thing now.
What a blatant display of mis-management.

Rich;

Next time, try the poll after the Kings have lost two or three games in a row, rather than after they have won two.

Under too much time on my hands...

"Big Rob in Dallas said:
Link from the Dallas Morning news about Sean Avery facing off against Dustin Brown

http://starsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/11/more-insight-into-the-past-of-sean-avery.html"

Quotes the article in the LA times today verbatim. On the comments, they also have an ANTHONY who reads remarkably like the Anthony on this board. Kinda funny.

Brown should just ignore Avery. Avery's on ice antics are designed to get people off their game.

Actually, the Kings should play Armstrong against Avery, as Armstrong reportedly can talk, hopefuly enough to out talk Avery most days of the week.

Anthony,

How can you be so sure that losing POS is a almost a sure thing now? Do you have an inside source with the players? Otherwise nobody takes anything you say seriously. if i remember right, Vinny Lecavelier didnt get along wiht his coach in TB for a long time, but he never asked for a trade.

Its a new coach with a new system, so there are going to be some rough times and some players are going to have to learn what they need to do in order to make the coach happy. Like others have said, you are not an NHL coach, so what could you possibly know about handling these players?

Also, anyone remember the reason that Patty O fell so far in the draft? He has been known to have an attitude problem. So maybe it is more Patty than it is Murray.

i personally give them both passing marks. i will also say they are both far from perfect.

dl gets negatives for his signing/extension of cloutier and handling of blake. i think he gets positives for his drafts (even with hickey)and his moves this year. no team has better prospects in the system. burke (ducks) looked like a genious a couple of years ago. now he looks foolish - dumping players due to payroll. no gm is perfect. dl grade - b

tm gets negatives for his sticking with jlb for 10 games. he will erase that if he sticks with the guy getting the job done - ersberg. i too question his line juggling, but i think he is trying to find the (four) lines that play consistent d while offering toughness and the ability to score. sully not being in camp did not help. players want to play. sully on the 4th line strange? yes. but he is getting nearly as many minutes as kopi and brown. he is also in the top 5 in scoring on the team. i don't see this as mismanagement. still don't see sully as leaving a sure thing. tm is not perfect either. tm grade - b+

as for avery, well he is a scumbag. i can't help forget him punching a guy that was already down, helpless on the ice. i can't help forget him disrespecting coash murray (andy) during practice. i can't help forget his intolerable treatment of brown as a rookie. how can you cheer that? wwad? he's a freakin' tool. avery is simply a classless player. talent aside. i wouldn't waste one molecule of precious air to boo him, he's simply not worth it. like any other opponent, i hope he is laid out by brown or boyle tonight, but i might just cheer a little louder when it happens (except for maybe pronger).

rich, good poll question. definitely ask again this time next month.

Marty,

What happened with the Sully trade rumors you mentioned yesterday..I believe it was with Toronto? Did the agent have a press conference? I'm still wondering where that info came from. I checked around the internet and couldn't find anything relating to what you said. I'd hate to think you're starting BS rumors about players.

Sully will soon be traded he is definately not happy in la la land.He can establish himself better on another team that will utilize his offensive skills rather than being buried with scrubs on the 4th line.Its gonna happen.Bet on it.

First of all, there is no reason -- no reason (no reason*) -- to think that POS is unhappy, other than the fact that, a couple of weeks ago, when the Kings were in the middle of a five game losing streak, POS said he was frustrated with not being on the first line (or whatever the question was). Now, three games and no regulation losses later, certain fans have taken "frustrated" and turned it into "demanding a trade" and "losing POS is almost a sure thing."

That's just crazy talk.

But I'm willing to leave reality for a moment and join you in the land of the pretend POS who is angry and demanding a trade. The pretend POS can demand a trade all he wants. It means nothing. Pretend POS (like the real one) is under contract. Pretend POS has to do what his bosses tell him to do. In three years, Pretend POS can demand a trade, when his UFA status is approaching. Now, Pretend POS has to suck it up, just like everyone else.

Fortunately, the real POS isn't a toddler, so I really wouldn't worry about it.

*no reason

Marty -

Okay, I'll consider your bet. What terms are you offering?

I think the team is better this year, so DL warrants some approval. But what to do with Richardson? Oops.

TM, on the other hand, not so much.

1) Moulson on 1st line, 4th line, scratched, 1st line, demoted. WTF? And he says we need consistency?

2) No way Kopitar shouldn't be in shoot-out.

3) Too much Ivanans. Ivanans is taking Army's spot?! We'd get more out of #7.

4) Too much Gauthier.

5) Too much JLB.

"Marty said:

"Sully will soon be traded he is definately not happy in la la land.He can establish himself better on another team that will utilize his offensive skills rather than being buried with scrubs on the 4th line.Its gonna happen.Bet on it."

Gotcha Nostradamus!

Red...Right on, good commentary.

Nykingsfan....Great analysis and insight as always.

DL - A, you've done a phenomenal job with nothing to start. The Kings will be solid contenders for years to come.

TM - B+...Mostly for making Lababs the No. 1 and not switching sooner. I'd also perfer Sully on the top line but that's working itself out....What you've done with the kids and this team defensively is nothing short of a miracle, way to go Mark Hardy too!

Go Kings!

DL is awful if not for Dave T DL would be fired. TM is doing a good job.

Marty - Consider this, Sully has been successful at every level, not because of some all star next to him, but because he's good, put him on any line number, doesn't matter, if you give him the minutes he's good enough to score...monkeys will fly out your butt sooner than a trade will happen and as long as he's getting minutes and power play time, he is staying he'll find his place.

Ratings - TM - A-, because I also agree Labs should have been replaced after 5 games or so. But if you asked me what grade I would have given TM before the season started if his defense would have the lowest shots per game, fourth best penalty and GAA 14 games into the season, with a defense was mostly new to the team, I would have said A+. If anyone on this blog said they saw this coming in preseason, you're a liar and your crediblity is shot.

DL- No secret I always liked him, I loved his draft day but absolutely shock my head at his other offseason moves. As much as some don't like Gauthier, he brings a toughness that our D lack last year. Doughty, I don't need to say anymore...O'Donnell, for nothing, Stoll and Greene have already gave us more than Vishovsky could...Ersberg was from a year ago, but I don't think any of us are surprised by his play this year...Moller & Simmonds, great picks...Handzus, he had more haters than fans, no denying he's played very well this season, we burned a season on his injury, got a couple more solid ones ahead. Our pipeline is jam packed with talent and as a result it pushes our starters to earn their job every game, I would say that is ideal for a GM...oh and we're 14 million or so under the salary cap, with most of our core locked down for years to come. If every GM made perfect moves, DL would get a C because of Cloutier, Calder, and McCauley, but no GM is perfect, so he gets an A

Go Kings

DellaNooch,

16 teams make the playoffs.
14 don't.

If the Kings make the playoffs this season Lombardi is a genius. If not, the picture appears muddier. In the 3rd year of a rebuild a team should be making the playoffs, or achieving mediocrity in the league, and at the beginning of the season it looked like they had a snowballs chance in hell of making it. Right now, he's looking like a genius-to-be. We'll know in 5 or 6 months.