The Los Angeles Kings and general manager Rob Blake have mutually parted ways. President Luc Robitaille will remain with the organization. With this shocking announcement, the search will now start for a new general manager.
Blake was hired as an assistant general manager with the Kings before the 2013-14 season and was promoted to general manager in 2017, replacing Dean Lombardi. Before putting on a suit, Blake was regarded as the best defenseman in King’s history. He posted 161 goals and 333 assists for 494 points in 805 games with 1, 231 penalty minutes.
While he did not light the world on fire as a general manager, he did bring in key pieces to the success of the organization. He brought in goaltender Darcy Kuemper, forwards Kevin Fiala, Andrei Kuzmenko, Phillip Danault, Warren Foegele, Viktor Arvidsson, and defensemen Joel Edmundson and Vladislav Gavrikov. He also was included in bringing in Quinton Byfield, Gabe Vilardi, and Mikey Anderson by the way of the NHL Draft.
However, he did have his faults as well. The most criticized move was trading for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois. The move was awful for the Kings from game one. Not to mention the big contract and the load of players that were sent to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange. Blake was able to offload Dubois to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Kuemper, a move that paid off for both teams.
In 8 seasons under Blake, the Kings made the playoffs five times but never passed the first round. They would lose the past four seasons to the rival Edmonton Oilers in the first round. Blake was also criticized for not making moves at the 2025 NHL trade deadline to shore up this roster in preparation for the meeting with the Oilers.
Blake made some progress in bringing in the names above to make this team better. However, Blake’s biggest fault was not making big moves to improve this team while the talent was out there. Maybe he was afraid to make such a big move after the Dubois fiasco. Maybe he did not want to put the team behind even more.
Whatever the excuse is he is no longer part of the organization now. The hunt for his replacement is already on and we should expect to hear something about a hiring before the 2025 NHL Draft, which takes place on June 27 and June 28, 2025 in Los Angeles.Free agency is also coming up on July 1, 2025, so there will need to be someone in place by these dates. No indication where they may go but maybe a change in how they deal with the roster. Someone more aggressive in deals and trades? The Kings are now on the clock.
photo: lakingsinsider.com; Zach Dooley
photo: lakingsinsider.com; Zach Dooley
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