Ben Shelley: Kings fire Todd McLellan, name Jim Hiller as interim head coach

By no means am I a Kings fan...

Seems to me that Todd got hosed pretty well here for the failings of Rob and Luc. Was he a coach with flaws ?? absolutely.... But Hiller, come on... with Berube right there.

Chemistry gets spoken about quite a bit in sports ... however it is very true in Hockey that it matters greatly -

Both Rob and Luc overreacted to the Oil losses and instead of addressing the glaring need which everyone knew about... thought they'd be smarter than everyone else and PL's multiple Red flags - it's come back to haunt them sooner than anyone expected.

Durzi crushing it in AZ... A loss of offense that hasn't been replaced.
AI and Vilardi just the kind of guys that the Peg has been looking for..

When does the hammer fall on Blake ...

Ben Shelley: Kings fire Todd McLellan, name Jim Hiller as interim head coach
- Ben-Shelley.

Should I assume Kaliyev won’t be traded to the rangers now?

I have watched alot of Kings games as I have multiple players on my fantasy team! Their problem has been (in most games), getting up 1 or 2-0 early, then completely falling back into a defensive shell and letting the other teams attack for the rest of the game. Also, PLD was a horrible trade, that guy doesn't give a poop anymore. He's a brat.

I have watched alot of Kings games as I have multiple players on my fantasy team! Their problem has been (in most games), getting up 1 or 2-0 early, then completely falling back into a defensive shell and letting the other teams attack for the rest of the game. Also, PLD was a horrible trade, that guy doesn't give a poop anymore. He's a brat.
- quinneroma

Very true. There were signs of something wrong when Todd and the leadership mentioned some were in it for themselves and not the team. Fiala?
Who knows! I liked Todd but I get it! Someone has to take the fall!

By no means am I a Kings fan...

Seems to me that Todd got hosed pretty well here for the failings of Rob and Luc. Was he a coach with flaws ?? absolutely.... But Hiller, come on... with Berube right there.

Chemistry gets spoken about quite a bit in sports ... however it is very true in Hockey that it matters greatly -

Both Rob and Luc overreacted to the Oil losses and instead of addressing the glaring need which everyone knew about... thought they'd be smarter than everyone else and PL's multiple Red flags - it's come back to haunt them sooner than anyone expected.

Durzi crushing it in AZ... A loss of offense that hasn't been replaced.
AI and Vilardi just the kind of guys that the Peg has been looking for..

When does the hammer fall on Blake ...
- dozerD10

Durzi was a disaster in his own end. This situation has nothing to do with trading away Durzi. The Kings have adequate cover for Durzi. The Kings can't hold leads. The Kings can't win in OT/SHO. Todd doesn't adjust. That has always been Todd's problem during his tenure. He needed to go.

If things don't turn around under Hiller, then yeah: Blake will wear the PL trade to the unemployment line and probably not getting sufficient goaltending in the offseason.

Durzi was a disaster in his own end. This situation has nothing to do with trading away Durzi. The Kings have adequate cover for Durzi. The Kings can't hold leads. The Kings can't win in OT/SHO. Todd doesn't adjust. That has always been Todd's problem during his tenure. He needed to go.

If things don't turn around under Hiller, then yeah: Blake will wear the PL trade to the unemployment line and probably not getting sufficient goaltending in the offseason.
- Only_A_Ladd

I see it the other way on Durzi, the Kings had players to cover his defensive gaffes but no one to cover his offensive skills-

Anyhow should be interesting 2nd half in LA

I see it the other way on Durzi, the Kings had players to cover his defensive gaffes but no one to cover his offensive skills-
- dozerD10

If they had players to cover for his defensive gaffes, he wouldn't have been a -12, the worst on the team. The next worst was only -3. There was simply no covering for his defensive gaffes, and his offense didn't make up for it. He hurt the team more than he helped.

Hey, are you ever going to write anything about the Sharks again?!

By no means am I a Kings fan...

Seems to me that Todd got hosed pretty well here for the failings of Rob and Luc. Was he a coach with flaws ?? absolutely.... But Hiller, come on... with Berube right there.

Chemistry gets spoken about quite a bit in sports ... however it is very true in Hockey that it matters greatly -

Both Rob and Luc overreacted to the Oil losses and instead of addressing the glaring need which everyone knew about... thought they'd be smarter than everyone else and PL's multiple Red flags - it's come back to haunt them sooner than anyone expected.

Durzi crushing it in AZ... A loss of offense that hasn't been replaced.
AI and Vilardi just the kind of guys that the Peg has been looking for..

When does the hammer fall on Blake ...
- dozerD10

AI is no better than PLD. Vilardi has been given the opportunity to play more minutes than he had with LA, esp when Conor was injured.

As for the need which everyone knew about.. i assume you are talking about goaltending. With the Kings having no cap space, it would have required multiple moves in order to get a goalie. The goalie situation will most likely be addressed this summer when the salary cap increases and further contracts come off the books.

While PLD hasn't played great, acquiring him has allowed roster spots for Laferiere and Turcotte and even allowed Byfield more opportunity.

AI is no better than PLD. Vilardi has been given the opportunity to play more minutes than he had with LA, esp when Conor was injured.

As for the need which everyone knew about.. i assume you are talking about goaltending. With the Kings having no cap space, it would have required multiple moves in order to get a goalie. The goalie situation will most likely be addressed this summer when the salary cap increases and further contracts come off the books.

While PLD hasn't played great, acquiring him has allowed roster spots for Laferiere and Turcotte and even allowed Byfield more opportunity.
- stefano76

This ^^^ is a big deal.

One of the things that I can't figure out about Pierre Luc is how he's fanning on passes and shots lately. It's almost like he's using a shorter/longer stick right now and it's throwing off his ability to handle the puck. He looks like a high school player right now, and one on the Frosh team, at that.

By no means am I a Kings fan...

Seems to me that Todd got hosed pretty well here for the failings of Rob and Luc. Was he a coach with flaws ?? absolutely.... But Hiller, come on... with Berube right there.

Chemistry gets spoken about quite a bit in sports ... however it is very true in Hockey that it matters greatly -

Both Rob and Luc overreacted to the Oil losses and instead of addressing the glaring need which everyone knew about... thought they'd be smarter than everyone else and PL's multiple Red flags - it's come back to haunt them sooner than anyone expected.

Durzi crushing it in AZ... A loss of offense that hasn't been replaced.
AI and Vilardi just the kind of guys that the Peg has been looking for..

When does the hammer fall on Blake ...
- dozerD10

Yeah. Looking at the Kings I gotta say it. You Kings fans over react to everything. This losing steak was gonna happen no matter who was coaching the team. I know some of you don't approve of what Rob Blake is Doing. But losing streaks happen. Your team is still on track for 100+ points. And even if you go in as a wild card, that might help your team. Your team would probably be better playing central division opponents. And I have no love for Todd Mcleane. But he is a proven coach. But maybe his message got old. And the Kings aren't built to be a defensive team anymore. Fiala, Byfield, Dubois, Kaliyav are more offensively inclined. So the system did need to be changed to fit the team. But you guys know changing the coach only lasts for a few months before the problems come back. So chill.

While PLD hasn't played great, acquiring him has allowed roster spots for Laferiere and Turcotte and even allowed Byfield more opportunity.
- stefano76

Acquiring Dubois didn't allow that. Trading Iafallo and Vilardi did. They could've just as easily simply traded Iafallo for a pick and given his spot to Laferriere. They didn't need to commit to a $8.5M x 8 contract just to make room for a rookie.

Also, Dubois took Vilardi's spot, not Turcotte. Turcotte hasn't gotten any more opportunity than he would've gotten, anyways. It's really Laferriere who took the spot that he would've been up for in the absence of Iafallo. Thanks to that and with Arvidsson returning in a week or two, Turcotte doesn't even have a "roster spot" this year, only a cup or coffee or two.

Finally, Byfield's increased opportunity is solely because he's produced more on the same line that he played on last season. The Dubois trade has really had no impact on him.

Acquiring Dubois didn't allow that. Trading Iafallo and Vilardi did. They could've just as easily simply traded Iafallo for a pick and given his spot to Laferriere. They didn't need to commit to a $8.5M x 8 contract just to make room for a rookie.

Also, Dubois took Vilardi's spot, not Turcotte. Turcotte hasn't gotten any more opportunity than he would've gotten, anyways. It's really Laferriere who took the spot that he would've been up for in the absence of Iafallo.

Finally, Byfield's increased opportunity is solely because he's produced more on the same line that he played on last season. Dubois has had no impact on him.
- Osprey

What great hindsight you have... Of course acquiring Dubois allowed for that, because part of the acquisition was the movement of three rostered players. It's not fair to say that Laffy took AI's spot as the spot was going to be AK's to lose, and he's done just that. His suspension to open the season and Arvi's LTIR injury opened the door just a crack and Laffy has run with it. It could've very easily been Fagemo's, but he wasn't ready. RB tried to make the team, but didn't do his due diligence, at best. At worst, he thought he'd be the person to change their partner after a lifetime of showing the world exactly who they are. Buy him out before it's too late and wear that one for the rest of his GM career.

What great hindsight you have... Of course acquiring Dubois allowed for that, because part of the acquisition was the movement of three rostered players.
- Stu17

Hindsight is re-evaluating the trade by how it afforded opportunities to Laferriere and Turcotte. Those two weren't really on anyone's radar to benefit from the trade at the time of it. As you said, people were expecting Kaliyev to be the primary beneficiary.

Maybe it seems pedantic to stress that the acquisition of Dubois hasn't benefited anyone on the team, since it's true that the trading away of players did benefit a few, but I think that it's important if we're re-evaluating the trade. Blake shouldn't receive any less criticism for the trade just because it happened to benefit a player or two that we didn't expect it to. He could've just as easily have accomplished that by trading Iafallo and Kupari for picks, like he did with Durzi. I just think that we should be careful to not defend the trade in hindsight because it made room for players. Blake doesn't deserve to be excused for choosing the worst way to solve a problem, even if it did solve it.

Yeah. Looking at the Kings I gotta say it. You Kings fans over react to everything. This losing steak was gonna happen no matter who was coaching the team. I know some of you don't approve of what Rob Blake is Doing. But losing streaks happen. Your team is still on track for 100+ points. And even if you go in as a wild card, that might help your team. Your team would probably be better playing central division opponents. And I have no love for Todd Mcleane. But he is a proven coach. But maybe his message got old. And the Kings aren't built to be a defensive team anymore. Fiala, Byfield, Dubois, Kaliyav are more offensively inclined. So the system did need to be changed to fit the team. But you guys know changing the coach only lasts for a few months before the problems come back. So chill.
- Eman87654

The problem is the trend. The Kings started slowly each of the last two years. By December, they reverse things and reached the playoffs. This year it was reversed. From the Islanders' game in early December onwards, the team has stunk. They are still suppressing shots and regularly outshooting opponents, but shooting percentage fell through the floor since December. Why is that? One reason is that teams have figured the team out and shots are now coming from the point. Any time the puck gets below the dots, shots off cross-seam passes don't seem to be coming as much. Opposing goalies aren't moving. Todd hasn't adjusted. Players are now pressing and appear discouraged. Fiala, notably, has been doing too much and making risky plays. This all seemed to be spiraling. Blake had to do something.

I don't dislike Blake and I don't think he should be fired, BTW.

Hindsight is re-evaluating the trade by how it afforded opportunities to Laferriere and Turcotte. Those two weren't really on anyone's radar to benefit from the trade at the time of it. As you said, people were expecting Kaliyev to be the primary beneficiary.

Maybe it seems pedantic to stress that the acquisition of Dubois hasn't benefited anyone on the team, since it's true that the trading away of players did benefit a few, but I think that it's important if we're re-evaluating the trade. Blake shouldn't receive any less criticism for the trade just because it happened to benefit a player or two that we didn't expect it to. He could've just as easily have accomplished that by trading Iafallo and Kupari for picks, like he did with Durzi. I just think that we should be careful to not defend the trade in hindsight because it made room for players. Blake doesn't deserve to be excused for choosing the worst way to solve a problem, even if it did solve it.
- Osprey

Blake deserves all the criticism thrown his way because he traded for, and then over paid in money and term, for a bust of a player that he thought he could change. Trading away those two players for picks would've done nothing to advance the team, AI was worth more than a 2nd or 3rd and who cares about the 7th you would've gotten for Kupari. At the end of the day, it was Dubois for Valardi, and the other two were needed to free up a log jam and sweeten the deal. Durzi was going to want more money on his next deal and RB wasn't going to pay him, so he was essentially let go and his loose style of play seems to be working well for a loose team. I don't miss him. Either way, this whole Dubois debacle should be a GM career killer. It's just a matter of time before it is, unless he starts to perform.

The problem is the trend. The Kings started slowly each of the last two years. By December, they reverse things and reached the playoffs. This year it was reversed. From the Islanders' game in early December onwards, the team has stunk. They are still suppressing shots and regularly outshooting opponents, but shooting percentage fell through the floor since December. Why is that? One reason is that teams have figured the team out and shots are now coming from the point. Any time the puck gets below the dots, shots off cross-seam passes don't seem to be coming as much. Opposing goalies aren't moving. Todd hasn't adjusted. Players are now pressing and appear discouraged. Fiala, notably, has been doing too much and making risky plays. This all seemed to be spiraling. Blake had to do something.

I don't dislike Blake and I don't think he should be fired, BTW.
- Only_A_Ladd

exactly... Todd did not like to make adjustments for some reason..just look at the overtimes and shoot-ous when we got there.. always the same players starting OT and always the same shooters. and always the same results.. "L"

exactly... Todd did not like to make adjustments for some reason..just look at the overtimes and shoot-ous when we got there.. always the same players starting OT and always the same shooters. and always the same results.. "L"
- stefano76

8-11-9

And always the same:
1. enter the zone
2. circle
3. drop pass
4. circle
5. exit the zone

*REPEAT*

Acquiring Dubois didn't allow that. Trading Iafallo and Vilardi did. They could've just as easily simply traded Iafallo for a pick and given his spot to Laferriere. They didn't need to commit to a $8.5M x 8 contract just to make room for a rookie.

Also, Dubois took Vilardi's spot, not Turcotte. Turcotte hasn't gotten any more opportunity than he would've gotten, anyways. It's really Laferriere who took the spot that he would've been up for in the absence of Iafallo. Thanks to that and with Arvidsson returning in a week or two, Turcotte doesn't even have a "roster spot" this year, only a cup or coffee or two.

Finally, Byfield's increased opportunity is solely because he's produced more on the same line that he played on last season. The Dubois trade has really had no impact on him.
- Osprey

Fair point.

And Turcotte's cup of coffee only comes because Vilardi, Iafallo and Kupari were traded...

And Turcotte's cup of coffee only comes because Vilardi, Iafallo and Kupari were traded...
- stefano76

I'm sure that he would've gotten his cup of coffee, anyways. His performance in the AHL this season earned it and management would've found a way. That said, trading those players (mainly, Kupari, who was Turcotte's only real competition of the three) did make that easier, though injuries (Lizotte, Arvidsson) and struggles (Kaliyev) did, as well.

nice to see a solid effort put forward on Saturday night..

This ^^^ is a big deal.

One of the things that I can't figure out about Pierre Luc is how he's fanning on passes and shots lately. It's almost like he's using a shorter/longer stick right now and it's throwing off his ability to handle the puck. He looks like a high school player right now, and one on the Frosh team, at that.
- Stu17

Easy answer... PLD has never been focused, has never been disciplined, and was basically just a very talented player with no heart, no grind...and when eventually his flaws get revealed, he's a spoiled little kid that lashes out at everyone around him, when really...it's himself that he needs to look at. Instead of bearing down and working hard, and focusing...he'll probably ask for a trade again.

He's been like this since peewee...he won't change.