I'm HAPPY with this....$6 mil/yr is NOT bad, and is NOT long term or anything, only two years....and I welcome back Blake!!!
He'll be good for guys like Gleason, and be great on PP with Visnovsky! Perhaps one more decent D-man, and a good top six forward (either Samsanov,whos only 27, and/or Elias).
Blake is... well... a strange signing at best. But this goes once again to the inability to get trade for a defensive prospect instead of signing a old on the downside vet to such a important position. Its not like we have someone who can step up if Blake becomes the new JR...
O yea and I have certianlly not forgiven Blake....
2 million more than what i would have wanted but it seems everyone is getting more than people would have thought today.
Wasn't it just a year ago where owners and gm's were complaining about losing money and players salaries being to high, now were right back to GM's overpaying to get a UFA.
I would love to see the revenue drop next year and the salary cap go back down just to screw some of these GM's who are overpaying.
This signing makes me sick. Where the hell is the self respect or sense of pride with this organization? So we welcome back a deserter and his finicky wife to allow them to settle back into Southern California, the area they spurned for greener pastures, and we get to overpay for his services to boot?!
This is exactly why whoever wants to screw us over can do precisely just that--because in the end, they can count on us as a fallback plan no matter what they do to us because there will be no consequences for their actions due to our own shortcomings. Rob effin' Blake! Unbelievable!
The silver lining is that it is only for two years...two more years of self-loathing. What is wrong with getting Jay McKee and Filip Kuba for that kind of money?
We paid way too much for a guy who will not win a Cup here and who will prevent us from finishing in the bottom 5. I sure hope this is not business (mediocrity) as usual.
I have always been a fan of Rob Blake. Good signing.
Yes, he left under dubious circumstances. BUT, he wore the C with the Kings for years and has worn an A with the Avs for reasons. He is very steady on defense, provides consistent offense and booming bodychecks at the blueline, and most importantly (as has been said) he brings leadership and an example from which young guys like Gleason and Petiot can learn a great amount about how to be a successful, dominant defenseman in the NHL. Young players need veterans to learn from and look up to.
So... who does Crawford pair him with regularly? Gleason? Visnovsky? Petiot (if he makes the team)?
Ugh. I'm GLAD we didn't get Chara - he would have been OK in the regular season - for the most part. But he seemed so innefectual in the playoffs. I watched speedy forwards get by & around too often to covet him.
Unfortunately, we followed up by getting Rob Blake. I don't think I've ever seen Blakey look more innefectual than he did last season. I remember the when we played the Avs he often looked lost out there. We capitalized on Rob Blake turnovers many times. I know nearly all of you are going to disagree with me, but the Rob Blake we just signed ISN'T anywhere close to the Rob Blake we traded away years ago. Blakey's biggest assets were his incredible hitting, and incredible point shot - both of which have diminished with time. 37 and slowing down every day. Waste of money to me.
I'd much rather have a guy like Jay McKee - fast, great shot blocker, isn't often out of position - and when he is, can use his speed to make up the gap. Not to mention a lot younger.
We paid way too much for a guy who will not win a Cup here and who will prevent us from finishing in the bottom 5. I sure hope this is not business (mediocrity) as usual.
This team wasn't going to finish bottom-5 to begin with. I wish many of you would quit that pipe dream. Crawford and Lombardi are both too good for that, and the players on the team are under-rated by their own fans, IMO. They would've remained in the "black hole" if they had stayed as they were just yesterday. Lombardi is doing something about it, and he chooses to go forward, rather than back. He's adding pieces that could very well lift the team into the playoffs.
To borrow a line from the old regime, "winning breeds winners," and the Kings have a whole bunch of youngsters that need to be bred right. Finishing as one of the worst teams in the league is a killer for young players. Would you rather that they quit trying in February because they're too far out of the playoffs or that they, at that same moment, come together as a team and make their playoff push? Which is better for their development? I think that Lombardi knows better than to allow these kids to struggle, and, especially, to do so without veterans to look up to. If there were ever a time to blow things up, it would've been years ago when the cupboard was bare. The Kings just have too much young talent to go to ground zero now.
When I first heard about this signing I was furious. But after thinking about it, I've come realize this is actually a good signing, and I think the team is moving in the right direction.
Blake gives us exactly what we need on the Blueline, while providing character and leadership for the youngsters. Yes 6M per season is an overpayment, but that's what you have to do in order to get a player to sign short term. It also doesn't look that bad when you consider KJ is making 5M per!
Blake may have been our best option all along. Signing Chara to a 5 year deal at 7.5M per with an NTC would have been too riskey. Pronger would have costed way too much. Mitchell and Mckee would have been nice, but they're not the #1 D-Man that Rob Blake is.
Everyone keep in mind this is only a two year deal, and DL is using the same forumula he used in SJ and it worked there. This team is already better then the one we had last year.
Look for DL to now sign a top 6 forward. I have a strange feeling it's going to be Shanahan.
The AP story has been updated with quotes from Lombardi and Blake...
Lombardi
"Rob Blake is a special player and more importantly a special person. He belongs in a Kings uniform."
"There are a lot of things that make Rob attractive to us. This is a player I've always admired. He totally understands now what a winner is. This guy is the whole package."
Blake
"I want to thank the Avalanche for everything. I learned a lot about winning and things that are going to help me throughout my career."
On being booed: "I hope it's a warm reception. I think things will be put behind us."
"I know I can commit myself to two years. I want to see how I'm playing. It's tough when you get up a little bit in age."
"Anytime you start with a franchise, your ultimate goal is to win the Stanley Cup. Part of the decision coming back was to bring that attitude and carry that over to Los Angeles."
On returning to the Kings: "It was a logical decision and an easy decision."
He doesn't hold a grudge after being booed mercilessly for 5 years. I hope that the fans don't, either.
The AP story has been updated with quotes from Lombardi and Blake...
Lombardi
"Rob Blake is a special player and more importantly a special person. He belongs in a Kings uniform."
"There are a lot of things that make Rob attractive to us. This is a player I've always admired. He totally understands now what a winner is. This guy is the whole package."
Blake
"I want to thank the Avalanche for everything. I learned a lot about winning and things that are going to help me throughout my career."
On being booed: "I hope it's a warm reception. I think things will be put behind us."
"I know I can commit myself to two years. I want to see how I'm playing. It's tough when you get up a little bit in age."
"Anytime you start with a franchise, your ultimate goal is to win the Stanley Cup. Part of the decision coming back was to bring that attitude and carry that over to Los Angeles."
On returning to the Kings: "It was a logical decision and an easy decision."
I hope that some of you are willing to soften your reactions in light of Blake's statements. He doesn't hold a grudge after being booed mercilessly for 5 years. That's quite extraordinary when you think of it. I hope that the feeling is reciprocated, at least in time.
Extraordinary? **** him. He was always about the money. I'll still boo him.
This signing makes me sick. Where the hell is the self respect or sense of pride with this organization? So we welcome back a deserter and his finicky wife to allow them to settle back into Southern California, the area they spurned for greener pastures, and we get to overpay for his services to boot?! 
