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About This Page: This is a discussion on LA Kings Talk within the LetsGoKings.com forums, at Los Angeles Kings Hockey Fan Forum. Originally Posted by OrangePuck
Still, whether or not Lombardi expe.....um....anticipated them to turn the franchise around is irrelevant. He paid far too much for players that are worth
Still, whether or not Lombardi expe.....um....anticipated them to turn the franchise around is irrelevant. He paid far too much for players that are worth about half of that they got. I can't wait to see what he does for an encore.
And he could have paid alot more if he wanted because they have the cap space. Most will be off the books by the time big contracts and cap space come into play.
One point that you and many of the posters on this board overlook about these FA signings is the character aspect. Whether you like these players or not, they were good character players that don't give up. They provided leadership to the young guys.
You talk about calling up Boyle and Purcell, but that just won't cut it for providing leadership. They probably would have brought us higher in the standings AND saved us money. However, Lombardi is trying to groom the kids and make them EARN their spots and teach the young ones on the team some lessons about "team" and being adults that will have much longer lasting affects throughout their careers...not just a season.
DL has had VERY solid reasoning behind signing these guys if the retarts actually want to read what he says. He gave detailed explanation BEFORE and after the signings.
If he was saying that these guys just didn't pan out and blaming them, THEN I'd really be concerned about his choices.
You are very wrong about DL...just as you were about O'Sullivan reaching 20 goals.
Last edited by anjae11eden; April 8th, 2008 at 05:31 AM.
The other problem with OP's idea of giving Boyle and Purcell NHL jobs immediately is that they were trying to turn Boyle into a d-man. Even you wouldn't have attempted that transition at the NHL level, would you OP?
The Kings have made the mistake of rushing young players to the NHL TOO many times in their history. I'm glad that they're bringing these new guys along a bit more slowly. A nice long playoff run here in the AHL will be great for them.
That is where Lombardi and I differ in philosophy. I say that minor leaguers over the age of 21 are old enough to step up and learn at the NHL level. Especially with a depth chart as shallow as the Kings'. It would have been to the organizations benefit to pick at least one or two players from the Monarchs to join the big club. Especially a kid like Boyle. The dude could have logged 9-12 minutes a night on the 4th line for the first few months of the season. Sink or swim and I can care less about burning a season of their entry level contract. If the player is worth a contract beyond that one then it should be no problem giving it to them a year sooner. Look at what Jordan Staal did last season. Sure, he slumped this year but I have no doubt that he'll get over the sophmore slump.
I also can't help but notice a lot of "It doesn't really matter because we suck anyway" or "I'd rather be last with a pick than in the dreaded black hole." Exactly when are people going to take the training wheels off of this ****ing team and start moving forward? Or do people actually believe that one season they'll be 29th and suddenly leap frog the black hole into the upper echelon of the Western Conference?
I understand your "philosophy" but I also think that bringing up the 21 year olds just to fill holes won't benefit their development. Being called up because your NHL team isn't good enough isn't a reward, and lets face it, playing in the NHL is a reward.
I would rather watch Nagy, Zeus, and Wilsie suck, than run the risk of not developing Purcell or Boyle correctly. The current philosophy seemed to work with Sully. The organization is actually developing youth that can step in and fill gaps when players go to the IR. This is the first time I can remember in a long time that the Kings have the luxury of having to decide which player to call up.
This year was painful to watch and beign realistic, next year probably won't be much better.....but we can all see that the organization is taking the right steps to make the future bright. It is a matter of being patient. I'll give DL one more year before I hit the panic button.
I'll be so happy in a couple of years when the Kings are back in the playoff hunt and we forget about seasons like this when everyone realizes the UFA's we signed during these years of suckage didn't matter in terms of the big picture and some Ducks fan who lost his way on the Kings message board seemed to think they do.
People look back at San Jose and say, "Wow, they drafted really well - look at the team now!" not "Wow, remember all those overpriced and under-performing UFA's they had to sign when the team sucked?". The draft, the prospects, the development of the youth are what to put DL under the microscope for, and he's consistently hitting doubles, triples and home runs with the youth on this team. That's all that matters right now.
I don't see anyone waxing poetic on the Ducks or Sharks endless stream of stellar UFA signings when they were in the dumper - and that makes me happy because it doesn't matter when the team is bad. Youth development is what matters and the Kings are full steam ahead.
- T
Last edited by TonySCV; April 8th, 2008 at 09:57 AM.
I'll be so happy in a couple of years when the Kings are back in the playoff hunt and we forget about seasons like this when everyone realizes the UFA's we signed during these years of suckage didn't matter in terms of the big picture and some Ducks fan who lost his way on the Kings message board seemed to think they do.
People look back at San Jose and say, "Wow, they drafted really well - look at the team now!" not "Wow, remember all those overpriced and under-performing UFA's they had to sign when the team sucked?". The draft, the prospects, the development of the youth are what to put DL under the microscope for, and he's consistently hitting doubles, triples and home runs with the youth on this team. That's all that matters right now.
I don't see anyone waxing poetic on the Ducks or Sharks endless stream of stellar UFA signings when they were in the dumper - and that makes me happy because it doesn't matter when the team is bad. Youth development is what matters and the Kings are full steam ahead.
One point that you and many of the posters on this board overlook about these FA signings is the character aspect. Whether you like these players or not, they were good character players that don't give up. They provided leadership to the young guys.
Character? Nagy is the opposite of character. Calder? Nope. Preissing? He's not a lockerroom cancer or anything, but he's not a character guy. Thornton is a character guy, but he never seemed to find his place on this team and wasn't the player he was in the past. The biggest problem this season for me was the number of games where this team DID give up, and it was the kids who picked up the slack, not the free agents.
TonySCV
