Online commentary: Blake needs to go
So says Matt McHale, who preceded me on the Kings beat. As part of the Daily News' expanded and (hopefully) improved online content, he will be writing periodic commentaries on some of the bigger issues in the Southern California sports scene. Today, he tackles the question of whether Rob Blake should be traded. You can probably guess the answer by the headline...
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Rich Hammond has covered the Kings, on a full-time or part-time basis, since the 2000-01 season. He was the beat writer for the entire John Torchetti era and has witnessed Bob Miller singing country music in a Nashville honky-tonk bar. A native of Los Angeles, Rich has worked at the Daily News since 1999 and also serves as the paper's deputy sports editor. E-mail Rich at rich.hammond@dailynews.com.
Jill Painter joined the Daily News in 2000 and during the last eight years she's covered the Dodgers, Cal State Northridge, UCLA, Kings, golf and everything in between. Even though she's from Colorado, she still freezes in the Staples Center press box but always manages to thaw her fingers in time to make deadline. E-mail Jill at jill.painter@dailynews.com.
Yep.
I think Rob Blake being "so good" is quite the overstatement.
I personally feel like we would be very lucky to get much for him, after the last couple seasons. But if a deal comes along, i sure hope we jump on it
Amen!
bye bye blake.
hopefully a team that YOU WANT to play for has what we want/need in return.
ps. try not to suck.
Brutally honest for those who don't see many games. Spot on for those who see them all.
I think Blake will comand much at the trade deadline. No matter how old or washed up you look, somebody out there will always take a chance, if just for a few months.
I say if Chelios and the Wings want him so badly, let him go!
How bout D - Brett Lebda, LW - Justin Abdelkader, and a 2nd rounder
Uh... one of the top four players in franchise history? When did five come before four? DIONNE, TAYLOR, VACHON and ROBITAILLE are unquestionably the top four players in franchise history.
Wow, this guy sure sucks up to Blake alot in this article. I believe Blake must go, and that Lombardi should be seeking a prospect and pick for him at least, but seriously... He was a good player, and definitely a franchise King but his hall of fame credentials are not in the bag and he isn't the top fourth player every to take the ice in a King's uniform. This guy needs to wake up and realize this is not 1993.
Seriously, if he wasn't getting paid $6 million would he be so maligned? Jesus he's not the worst defenseman on the team. The almighty plus/minus that so many people point to, Lubo is a -18 and he doesn't get as much crap as Blakey. Kopitar is a -14. I'm the first to admit he's not the player he once was but let's face it the Kings paid him the money. Get over it. Maybe it was a mistake to give him the captaincy, but again that was the choice of the organization and I don't hear anything at all about dissent in the room from the rest of the team. He probably will be traded if the right deal comes along, but I for one and I am sure I'm alone here, will be bummed to see him go again.
Hall of Fame credentials?
Seriously?
Sometimes Kings fans (& their writers) have no class! Always looking for a scapegoat... it feels like the National Enquirer around here sometimes.
Oh & Blakey is BY FAR the best defenseman the franchise has EVER had & a definite Hall of Famer- stop splitting hairs!
Here, here Oz!!!
Marc Nathan....
I'm sure hoping Gretzky would be squeezed in there.
Blakey needs to take his old as hips on a long one way road trip!
i do not care how much they are paying him. he could be making league minimum and i would still be pissed about the manner in which he's played in 3/4 of the games this season thus far.
it can be argued that he wasn't 100% and i'm willing to consider that.
it could also be argued that he is the shell of the defenseman that he once was at age 37.
is he good in the room? possibly... i'll/we'll never know.
but your CAPTAIN should never respond to trade rumors the way that he has.
am i anti-blake? no, far from it. but you cannot deny his inability to handle the responsibility of captaincy now or the last time he was our captain based on his very public actions.
as i say this i have to look at the position we're in currently.
at this point, i'd rather trade him IF we can get picks and prospects that fit our needs right now; OR IF we get players that will set us up to get us what we need via trades in the near future.
The only way Blake doesn't get traded is if he gets hurt. It simply makes no sense to keep him. (1) Lombardi, we all know, is watching the bottom line ($$) and needs Blake's salary to fill other needs. (2) Blake will not be better at 38 than he was at 37. (3) Blake has always been a bit of a defensive liability, even when his ass-checking was operating at full power (check his plus/minus over the years). (4) he's an excellent hole-filler for a team that's looking for depth/insurance and not a #1 guy.
What with Stuart playing so well right now, I can both those guys getting dealt. It will be a good summer for our defensive prospects to blossom.
After watching Rob Blake at the end of the Detroit game I am seriously contemplating booing him touching the puck in a kings uniform, especially if he is gonna have the C on his jersey.
It really showed that he doesn't care at all in that game and because of that he no longer deserves to wear the C, I'm sorry give it to Brown or someone who cares about winning and gives it their all every shift.
Here's a deal I can see getting done:
Blake to Chicago for Khabibulin.
The contracts are almost the same. The Blackhawks are fighting for a playoff spot and need a QB for their power play. The Kings need a good veteran goalie to hold the fort until Bernier is ready to be the #1 guy.
I know it's another team in the conference, but it's not like it's the Ducks or anything.
I think Blake would eat this deal up and I think it's an easy deal to pull off.