Today on Daily Faceoff Live, Frank Seravallil and Tyler Yaremchuk weigh in on the Los Angeles Kings season and whether general manager Rob Blake is on the hot seat or not.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Rob Blake has made his move on the coaching end and we know the temperature gets dialed up on GMs after a coaching change so I just wonder as we inch closer to the deadline maybe things are starting to get a little hot there sitting in the GM spot for the Kings. Not that a change is going to happen but once you make that move for a coach it’s kind of on you from that point on.
Frank Seravalli: Well consider what the goal was at the year to start, it wasn’t to just make the playoffs but it was after losing to the Edmonton Oilers two playoffs in a row, “we need to win and advance.” They’re not in a prime position to do that, and even though they’ve got some significant improvement like Quinton Byfield and there are a lot of positive signs, the Dubois trade has really set them back in a big way. Then you look at the Faber trade and what that’s meant to Minnesota, Fiala has been fine but Faber and a first was a lot, there’s been some sidesteps along the way and going from rebuilding to a contending team and I think some of those questions are valid. I do wonder if there will be repercussions in the summer and the off-season.
Frank Seravalli: Again, you asked the point about the goaltending, it looked fine at the start and David Rittich has kind of held it together, but in 2024 he’s 7-4-3 with a .911 save percentage, a guy they had no faith or trust in during training camp. He’s taken over for Pheonix Copley, and Cam Talbot but they’ve also spent way less on goaltending than anyone else and that has come back to bite them. It’s a fascinating spot to be in, if not a really uncomfortable one.
You can watch the full show here…
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