Earlier this week, Ron Hextall left the Los Angeles Kings to join the Philadelphia Flyers as assistant general manager, the team where he starred as a goaltender during his NHL playing days.

Now, Rob Blake is apparently going home again, too -- to the Kings.
According to John Hoven of Mayor's Manor, Blake will be leaving the NHL's Department of Player Safety to replace Hextall and become the new assistant GM of the Kings. Sources tell Puck Daddy the move is likely, though unofficial.
Blake played 14 seasons with the Kings, winning the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman in 1997-98.

From Hoven:
His name was first mentioned to us by a source on Monday night. The dots didn’t seem to connect at the time, as head scout Mike Futa (a former OHL GM) seemed to be a more natural choice.
Then, three independent sources confirmed the information to us throughout the day today.

It’s official, Blake will be taking over the role.

This is just the latest twist in Blake’s relationship with the Kings and his post-career activity. His two tenures with the team have been well documented and he eventually hung up the skates in 2010. Since then, he’s been involved in a myriad of hockey related functions - including working closely with Brendan Shanahan and the NHL front office. The former Stanley Cup champion has also been actively involved with the Jr. Kings program.
Blake joined Shanahan's staff at the NHL in January of 2011 after retiring in 2010.

He spent the first 11 and a half seasons of his career with the Kings, later re-joining them for two more season before hanging up his skates as a member of the San Jose Sharks. His voice was heard in a number of DoPS suspension videos and helped with the NHL's Research and Development camp.
Blake's move comes on the heels of Brendan Shanahan flirting with the idea of joining the Calgary Flames as director of hockey operations last month.
It was thought that had Shanahan moved on, Blake would have been the next in line for the thankless job. Apparently there will now have to be a search for a new No. 2.

Tim Leiweke, the new chief of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd., is so confident the Toronto Maple Leafs will soon end a 46-year Stanley Cup drought that he’s mapped a victory-parade route for the hockey team.....

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Kings have agreed to an eight-year contract extension with Dustin Brown that will keep the team captain around through the 2021-22 season.

Brown had one year left on his current deal. He joins nine other Kings who have been signed to long-term deals, including Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Quick, Mike Richards and Jarret Stoll.

The Kings also announced Thursday that Rob Blake has been hired as an assistant general manager for the team with which he starred for 14 seasons as its career leader in goals, assists and points by a defenceman.

Brown has played his entire nine-year NHL career with the Kings, helping them win their first Stanley Cup in 2012. He is the team's only American-born captain, a position he's held since October 2008.

Brown has 181 goals, 207 assists and 452 penalty minutes in 641 regular-season games. He was an All-Star in 2009.

Blake replaces Ron Hextall, who is leaving to become assistant GM and director of hockey operations for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Blake spent two stints with the Kings from 1990-2001 and 2006-08, serving as captain for six seasons. He helped lead the team to the Stanley Cup final in 1993; won the club's first Norris Trophy in 1998; won a gold medal with Canada at the 2002 Olympics; and made four of his six All-Star trips as a King.

The 43-year-old Blake will help president and GM Dean Lombardi with contract negotiations and oversee the Kings' top prospects. Blake also will serve as GM for the AHL's Manchester Monarchs.

Blake had spent the last three years in the NHL's player safety department.

“I find it funny that I am so opposed to the replacing of a man who had nothing to do with our organization by someone who has such close ties to it.

But here I find myself. Rob Blake is a traitor of the highest order.

His abandonment of this organization at a crucial time in our history set the club back a decade. He doesn’t respect the logo, the fans, the city, or anything about why it is that for 45 years so many people dedicated themselves to a team that didn’t produce results that their passion deserved.

Kings fans, the ones who have been around for a long time, are creatures of loyalty. In spite of all other indications, they stuck by a team. If this team was in most other markets it would have folded or been relocated many many years ago. It’s something I’m proud of really.

Hockey in Southern California exists because of those fans. Rob Blake defines the anthesis of what makes those fans so great. His actions, to me, are intolerable. I boo him every time they trot him out on the ice for any kind of legacy events. I boo’d him every time he touched the puck after his betrayal, even when he was a King for the second time. I’d boo him if he was walking past me on the sidewalk.

I became sick when there was discussion of retiring his jersey. He defines what was wrong with this organization for so many years. I want him to have nothing to do with the club. Our success that we have now is a testament to the will of the people who didn’t abandon the ship when things looked murky. To allow him to be a part of a team that will likely have a lot of success in the next decade is disheartening to say the least. Simply put, he is beneath us. The idea of him getting another Stanley Cup ring with a Kings logo on it should we win again is making me sick again. I have no love for this man and never will.”

THE TRUTH ABOUT ROB BLAKE

“Boooooooo”

For years, that’s the sound Kings fans made every time Rob Blake has touched the hockey puck. How could a once proud Kings Norris Trophy winner be the brunt of such fan wrath?

“He was our homegrown player,” said Dave, a La Canada resident and fan since 1981. “He was the only player we had to hold our hopes on, especially after Gretzky.”

Drafted in the 4th round in 1988 out of Bowling Green University, Blake made the jump directly into the Kings lineup and by his third season was playing in the Stanley Cup finals. Following two dismal seasons where he spent more time in rehab than he did on the ice, famed workout guru T.R. Goodman promised Blake he would win a Norris Trophy if he trained with him. Blake did just that in 1997-98.

In 1997 Anaheim Mighty Ducks’ Paul Kariya held out for 32 games before signing a deal that paid him 5.5 million and 8.5 million the following season. 8.5 million in 1998. 13 years ago.

That same year, Sergei Fedorov held out, demanding a trade and saying he would never play for the Red Wings again. With 21 games left in the season Fedorov signed for 6 years, 38 million dollars after Detroit matched the Carolina Hurricanes offer sheet. The signing included a 14 million dollar signing bonus.

But Rob Blake is greedy?

In September of 1998 Kings President Tim Leiweke said, “We’re prepared to make (Blake) the highest-paid defenseman in the NHL,” following Al MacInnis’ record 3 year 15 million dollar deal.

But that almost didn’t happen.

Blake held out of training camp for 5 days before signing a 3 year 15.8 million dollar contract. The LA Times reported the Kings had a 5 year 25 million dollar offer on the table. This was the same year Matt Johnson and Jamie Storr held out and Aki Berg elected to play the entire season in Finland rather than accept the contract the Kings had offered. It was the same year Ziggy Palffy held out with the Islanders as well.

Rob Blake also purchased a suite at Staples center for $652,000 per year. He donated that suite to charity. Does that sound like something a greedy player would do?

The Times also reported that Blake signed for less money than his original demand, believed to be $19 million for 3 years or $35 million for 5 years.

“I know the NHL owners didn’t want the Kings signing me to a huge contract,” Blake told the Times. “And I think I owed it to the players around the league to get as much as I could for my position. I think the contract has defined the pay for the position . . . for a year, at least.”

Fans are quick to point out Rob Blake’s apparent greed, but Mark Messier held out and when his demands weren’t met, he was promptly traded to the Rangers.

Scott Neidermayer held out in 2000 and then turned down the league maximum of 7.8 million in New Jersey to play with his brother in Anaheim. Why isn’t he booed?

In 1998 Jason Allison held out and then was promptly traded to the Kings

Nikolai Khabibulin held out the entire 1999-2000 season

2000 saw a glut of holdouts. Bill Guerin, Anson Carter, Alexi Yashin.

When Andy Murray took over the Kings, the first person he went to was Blake. “Rob said they needed a little more discipline, some more accountability,” said Murray. “I wanted to know if I could be a fit. . . . What Rob did was to give me a feeling that what I could offer was what this team needed.”

Blake and Murray did what Larry Robinson could only do once in his four year tenure as coach. Reach the playoffs.

The biggest issue fans haven’t seem to forgive Blake for came in September of 2000.

With his three year deal coming to a close, the luxury of becoming a free agent for the first time at age 31, and contract negotiations at a stalemate, Blake removed himself from the Captaincy. Dave Taylor, the Kings’ general manager, said Blake approached club officials prior to the Kings’ first exhibition game in Phoenix and his request was honored.

“When you’re told you might not be around for the whole season, I thought it might be a distraction,” said Blake. “I didn’t want to remain captain if I wasn’t going to be here in the long run. I just didn’t feel it was right.” Andy Murray took it a step further by removing all the “A’s” that designate alternate captains.

But was this simply a negotiation tactic gone horribly wrong?

“Nobody relinquishes the captaincy going into a contract year,” said JT, a fan from Orange since 1983. “Joe Sakic didn’t do it. Chris Chelios didn’t do it. Vince Damphousse didn’t do it. He disrespected the captaincy, he disrespected his team mates, he disrespected the organization.”

TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported that the Kings had offered Blake a 3 year deal worth $7.5 million a year. Blake contends the Kings wanted him to play for $5.25 million. McKenzie also reported that Blake gave up his captaincy after the Kings suggested they might trade him if he didn’t agree to a new contract.

According to Blake’s agent at the time Ron Salcer, at the beginning of training camp, the Kings offered a “take- it-or-leave-it” deal that would have paid Blake an average of $7.5 million a season for the next three years. Blake left it. Salcer said it was “below market”. “I was so surprised that it was their final offer” said Blake. “I thought negotiations were just starting. I thought we had the same goals. That’s why I’m so surprised how it’s been handled.”

“In light of his refusal and the fact that Rob will become an unrestricted free agent when his contract expires on July 1, 2001, we must assess the long-term impact that Rob’s decision will have on the club,” Kings GM Dave Taylor said in the statement.

6 Days later, after a discussion with Andy Murray the “C” was given back. “I am captain of the Kings and I intend to be captain until my days in L.A. are over . . . whether it’s [years] or a day or an hour.”

“I thought about it, but I couldn’t see disrupting things, hurting our team, putting myself before my teammates,” Blake told the Times. “I have a contract for one more year that I signed, and that I must honor to the best of my ability. This team needs me. I owe it to them. I can only worry about what I control.”

Here’s where the real trouble started.

In October of 2000, Chris Pronger inked a deal with St Louis for 3 years at 29.5 million.

“It shows that the Blues’ management is committed to keeping their franchise player in St. Louis,” Ron Salcer said. “We haven’t seen that commitment here (with the Kings).” The Rangers Brian Leetch was being paid 7.68 million and Detroit inked Nik Lidstom to 7.25.

In February of 2001, Blake’s asking price had apparently skyrocketed to 9.6 million a season. The Kings said they couldn’t afford more than 8 million a season for the 5 year deal he was seeking and Dave Taylor admitted that he was “actively discussing what he can get for Blake”.

In a non salary cap era and with the Rangers and Red Wings spending upwards of 60-70 million dollars annually on payroll, Kings president Tim Leiweke didn’t believe playing one player 20% of the teams budget. “If people want to cancel their tickets, I understand it, that’s their right. But I don’t believe this is a step backward. We will be active during this trade and the off-season to build this team into one that’s consistent and competitive.”

Since the 2000-01 season, the Kings made the playoffs once in the following 8 years. So much for being consistent and competitive.

Tim Leiweke also said if they can trade Blake for younger players with lower salaries, they can funnel money toward acquiring a top-notch goalie before the March 13 trade deadline or this summer.

That never happed either.

On February 15th, General Manager Dave Taylor flew to Minnesota in an effort to reach a compromise with Blake but could not because Blake was intent on testing the free-agent market. “When it became evident he was intent on becoming a free agent, it became evident we had to make this trade.” Taylor told the Times.

On February 22nd, Rob Blake was traded along with center Steven Reinprecht to the Colorado Avalanche for Adam Deadmarsh, Aaron Miller, a 1st round pick and eventually prospect Jared Aulin.

4 months later, Rob Blake was hoisting the Stanley Cup.

He never did test the free agent market, instead signing a 5 year deal worth 9 million per season. What was ironic about the deal was that not many people knew the 5th year was Colorado’s option, which they chose not to renew. Had Blake taken the 5 year 8 million dollar deal the Kings had apparently offered, he would have made 4 million dollars MORE with the Kings and been immortalized.

5 years later, and no other King wore #4.

When Colorado allowed his contract to expire, new GM Dean Lombardi opened his checkbook to Blake to the tune of 12 million dollars over two years for a 36 year old defenseman long considered past his prime. “He totally understands what being a winner is about.” Lombardi said. “The important thing is to get quality hockey players and quality people who are winners.”.

“I called Rob and told him that he had to come home,” Luc Robitaille said.

During his press conference, Blake turned his jersey around, putting the Kings crest in the back and his name in the front. “It’s spelled this way,” he said, indicating the letters BLAKE, “Not, ‘BOOOO.’ “

But the second honeymoon didn’t last long as Lombardi dealt away Captain Mattias Norstom. Then came the free agents that didn’t work. Brad Stuart, Ladislav Nagy, Tom Preissing, Dan Cloutier and the trades of Michael Cammalleri and Lubomir Visnovski.

When free agency began, so did the soap opera. Blake claims he was never tendered an offer. Lombardi claims that Blake’s new agent Pat Brisson demanded 4 million dollars. Days went by and teams were signing players. Blake, not wanting to settle for having to play for Atlanta or the Islanders received a generous 5 million dollar offer to play for the playoff consistent Sharks, a team Lombardi helped to build.

He took it.

Besides, you signed Alfie. No chance of winning anything with that ultra douche on the team.