NHL blog, LA Kings hockey news and interviews from The Mayor
Multiple clips from a recent Dean Lombardi interview…
The Dilemma…
Going to Boston…
If you missed the latest LA Kings Media Roundtable, click here now – we debate if Lombardi’s roster style still works in today’s NHL.
Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or interviews from this site please include a link to www.MayorsManor.com
With Episode 15 we welcome in old friend Brian Slagel, the founder at Metal Blade Records, and somebody longtime followers of MayorsManor should know well. Here’s a brief look at some of the topics covered:
– A look at the Kings recent roadtrip through Edmonton and Calgary
– Kyle Clifford doing the most Kyle Clifford […]
As the parent club continues to press on and struggle, it’s a mixed bag with the current group of LA Kings prospects – some are continuing to outperform expectations, while others are facing a little adversity. To the latter point, keep in mind some road bumps are expected. Building a road to the future is […]
Follow @mayorNHL
Enjoy a free replay of John Hoven on TSN Radio, where he joined hosts Rick Ralph and Andrew “Hustler” Paterson to chat about several topics, including: the upcoming NHL Trade Deadline, LA Kings, Winnipeg Jets, Trevor Lewis, Alec Martinez, Tyler Toffoli, Nick Shore on waivers, Ilya Kovalchuk, Jonathan Quick, Jack Campbell, prospect Cal Petersen, […]
Per recent tradition, it will be the Kings and Coyotes in a pair of split-squad games to open up preseason on Tuesday night. LA captain Anze Kopitar will not suit up, but he will get a chance to watch his son … [Read More...]
Boy! do I (We) glad you choose to be as Kings of LA teams’ GM !! Let’s get 3 more CUPs with you here.OK..GKG…
schooling is needed
DL brought the Cup to L.A. He did what he was supposed to do now the question becomes, can he do it again? He has spoken in the past about wanting to be loyal to his players, as they are to the organization. This is noble and admirable but may be impossible in the current salary cap era. Chicago had to jettison several players after winning the Cup and it took them a couple of years to reload.
Many sports teams such as basketball, soccer, and hockey generally consist of six or seven core players with other team members being more complimentary in nature. DL has locked up pretty long-term the core of JQ, DD, VV, DB, MR, JC, and Kopi. He has committed a large part of the payroll to that core group. One key for DL going forward will be how effectively and inexpensively he can replace the non-core players on the roster.
After trading for Stoll and Greene, he overpaid both of them, signing them to longer term contracts. This was understandable as they are character players and DL needed those kind of guys to start building the team around. It would have done no good for those guys to have left in the midst of a team re-build. In fact, it might have been a disaster. When he re-signed Stoll recently he overpaid him. He simply is not that good offensively, is a bit undersized, and is an average skater. His value is strictly as a defensive center. When Greene’s contract ends he must decide if he will overpay again for a 5th-6th defenseman who will play only 14-15 minutes a game behind DD and Voynov. Stoll and Greene are valuable role players (Greene has played much better under Sutter) but they are still role players. In today’s NHL you can’t overpay role players without adversely affecting the team long-term.
DL is going to have to draft and develop players who can come in and play those kind of roles less expensively and eventually develop players who can become core guys in the future. Much of his long-term success and legacy as a great GM will depend greatly on his willingness to sacrifice loyal team players for less expensive players either from within the organization or finding cheap replacements in other organizations he can sign or acquire through trade.
Interesting hearing him speak about Boston and what persuaded him to come to L.A….Thanks!