Quote:
Originally Posted by KINGS17 
You may not be old enough to remember this, but the Kings have tried many times to make trades or sign free agents as a way of ending their mediocrity, and it never worked. Finally, we have a GM that gets it and is building the team the right way.
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I am old enough to remember and the Kings have had plenty of good GM's very good one's in fact that would have loved to "Build the right way".
But the sad unfortunate reality is that along with my dad and brothers and only about another 9-thousand other fans showed up at the Forum on a consistent basis until 89. Ownership including McNall and AEG during Taylors tenure all had bills to pay and opted for short term success's and a few playoff games over possible long term excellence.
And it was that short term success that actually kept the team in LA. Had the attendance dropped back in the day due any "rebuild". No way Buss purchases the team from Cooke and Cooke probably moves the Kings as he once applied to the NHL to do or Cooke sells the team to an out of state owner and he moves the club. As was common knowledge then.
Buss was not the most qualified buyer of the Kings then but he was the only one who would agree in writing not to move the franchise as the NHL wanted back then. The attendance then was enough to keep the franchise somewhat afloat then. The success of the Lakers and the concession money generated during Buss's ownership allowed him to keep the club. When the NFL came calling he sold out.
Buss himself was bent on buying an NFL team then and due to rules back then he couldn't own 3 franchises so he was bent of selling the Kings. He would have easily sold the team to anybody including an out of state owner who would have moved the franchise out of LA in his quest to pacify the NFL.
Though Buss was never successful in his attempt to get an NFL team, his blind ambition to do so could have easily got the Kings moved out of LA had the Kings not been decent.
Also, don't try to tell me that only Lombardi is that far thinking. In fact his rumored fixation on building that way may have cost him becoming the GM in Philly. Many current owners opt for a contender year after year to keep the building as full as possible all season, rather than attempt a re-build. And, many of these owners know full well that a rebuild will cost not only at the turn style, but revenue sharing money as well if the re-bulid doesn't attract fans. And once they leave, many don't return for a while.
Up until Taylors release did 1 GM ever have the opportunity to put a poor hockey club on the ice night after night and play to 80%-100% capacity buildings, NO! It's us fans who are allowing the rebuild in the end. Once we stop showing up, the party's over. And if that happens, look out Lombardi.
Just for the record.
Taylor drafted 12 players in the first round during his 9 drafts here.
And for Taylor to keep or have as many first round picks as he did during AEG's insistence on making the playoffs I think is pretty good.
After 2 seasons lets check the "Build the Right Way" scorecard.
Gaoltending, F-, The #1 thing Lombardi said he would fix first, he has ruined with his Cloutier trade, JLB demotion and Lombardi's rumored rejection of a Bryzgalov trade to the Kings.
To date there is no clear cut #1, only a few who have shown promise and out of that group we HOPE somebody will emerge as a long term solid #1.
Yes Bernier look good in camp, Yes Ersberg appears NHL ready, Yes JLB has played well and Yes Cloutier well never mind. The fact is NOBODY is head and shoulders above anybody else. And this was his stated first thing to do "Stabilize the goaltending"
Defense, F, Other than an above average trade for an ingrate college kid, according to Jim Rutherford, that didn't want to sign in Carolina every step has been expensive and a step sideways if not backwards. Lubo though played well in the past appears to have crested and appears is on the downside of his career, hopefully not but results speak for themselves and a 5.65 cap hit for 5 more seasons to go.
The rest you can shake up in a bag and the same guy falls out. This was job #2 establish a good defensive corp. It didn't happen, injuries, bad signings whatever it didn't happen.
Forward whats worse the F-, F--. There isn't enough time in the day to spell out the fiasco that has been Lombardi's "Veteran Signings". Other than kids who were already here, all he has brought into the mix is O'Sullivan. Everybody else has been a miss or an also ran.
Drafting, C, 2006 Lombardi is on record stating that he was trusting in scouting (Al Murrays staff). So whatever happens he gets no blame or no credit.
2007-Hickey. Far reaching pick for an undersized defenseman with leadership and puck moving abilities. Hindsight is 20-20, so only time will tell.
Were the Kings in bad shape when Lombardi took over no not really. In fact they had some good building blocks in place and Manchester was looking good as well. But for sure Taylor and AEG didn't get along and it was time for a new GM. Goaltending was the biggest problem then and the assets Taylor pissed away to make it better didn't help. In fact it led to many of the problems that led to Taylors release.
The Murray issue however you feel should have been nipped in the bud during the Allison/Murray he-said-she-said BS. If it was firing, if it was doing something with Allison whatever the decision so be it. But AEG allowed it to fester and nothing happened and that split the locker room in LA and in Manchester. And, the rumored Murray dictating to Manchester who should and shouldn't play in the end added to the woes.
In the end Taylor took over a bankrupt hockey club and made the entire hockey organization better. Though no Stanley Cup Banners hang on the wall he did a very good job and his hiring in Dallas is testament to the difficult job he did. Had he been crap he would have had to take some BS scouting position.
But in the end it for sure was time for him to move on.
Is Lombardi a good GM, yes. Is he a great GM, well only time will tell. But, please do not try and tell me that he has all the answers and is all knowing because he isn't. Every GM in the NHL is very intelligent and is capable of icing a Cup winning franchise and making bad trades or missing on draft picks.
Has Lombardi made some good decisions YES, has he made some poor decisions YES but until the Kings excel under his direction the jury is out, as it was with Taylor.
In the end Lombardi very may well get fired and the players he drafted don't pan out.
He may also strike gold and win a cup or 2 while he is here.
But until that success or failure happens as fans we cannot stand back and assume everything he does will pan out. Or worse yet make up excuses for the bad ones because of blind faith.
We all have to look abstractly at the moves and make up our own minds based on the facts at hand at that time.
But the facts at this time are that he is the GM and the Kings are not very good. The rest is pure speculation on our parts.
PS You state the following
"If, and it's a big if, the Kings get Stamkos he will likely fill a big hole and give us a one-two punch down the middle that this franchise has never had. Gone will be the days of trying to pawn off the likes of Armstrong, Smolinski, Elik, and Handzus as 2nd line centers."
"Strength up the middle let me see the Kings once had
Dionne and Goring as 1-2
Dionne and Nicholls as 1-2
Dionne,Nicholls and Carson as 1-2-3
Gretzky and Nicholls, as 1-2
Gretzky and Carson as 1-2
and if I remember correctly they all played pretty well together.
And, Lombardi acquired Handzeus and pawned him off as the #2 center, not the past regime as you intend.
KINGS17
