The Los Angeles Kings announce the departure of Rob Blake, who served as general manager and vice president of hockey operations for the team, after a fourth consecutive elimination in the first round of the playoffs.
Blake’s contract did not extend beyond the 2024-25 season. The situation of coach Jim Hiller, who has two years remaining on his contract after Blake promoted him to head coach this season, will be in the hands of the next general manager.
Blake, 55, took over in April 2017 after serving as assistant general manager under Dean Lombardi, starting in the 2013-14 season, the last time the Kings won the Stanley Cup.
During his eight seasons as general manager, Blake’s teams reached the Stanley Cup playoffs five times. However, Los Angeles failed to advance past the first round on any of those occasions, being swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018 and then eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers for four consecutive postseasons, including the Kings’ elimination in Game 6 last week.
The Kings had a points percentage of .557 in the standings during his eight seasons as general manager, as Blake tried to connect the team’s two Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014 with the next generation of stars, such as 22-year-old forward Quinton Byfield.
On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Rob for his dedication to the LA Kings and the passion he brought to his role. Reaching this understanding was not easy and I appreciate Rob’s collaboration in always working towards what is best for the Kings. Rob deserves great credit and respect for elevating us to where we are today. He has been an important part of the Kings and will always be appreciated for what he has meant to this franchise.
Luc Robitaille, Kings team president
During Blake’s tenure, the Kings made significant moves to acquire key players, sometimes at a significant cost. In 2022, he traded defenseman Brock Faber, runner-up for the Rookie of the Year award last season, to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for winger Kevin Fiala, who tied with Adrian Kempe for the team lead in goals this season for Los Angeles. In addition, he signed veterans such as Phillip Danault and Warren Foegele as free agents and made trades for players like winger Viktor Arvidsson and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov.
His most notable trade was the one that sent three roster players to Winnipeg in exchange for center Pierre-Luc Dubois in 2023, awarding him an 8-year, $68 million contract as a potential successor to franchise center Anze Kopitar. However, Dubois did not meet expectations in Los Angeles and was traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for goaltender Darcy Kuemper last offseason. Blake salvaged the situation: Kuemper is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender of the NHL regular season. Blake also traded franchise goaltender Jonathan Quick and young defenseman Sean Durzi, now a key piece for the Utah Hockey Club. Blake also traded draft assets to get rid of the contract of goaltender Cal Petersen, whom the general manager had signed to an unfortunate 3-year, $15 million contract.
In parting ways with Blake, the Kings also bid farewell to a franchise icon. Blake spent 14 seasons of his Hall of Fame career with Los Angeles, and his number 4 is retired with the team.
