Following Friday’s NHL Trade Deadline at noon, LA Kings GM Rob Blake met with the assembled media at the team’s training facility in El Segundo to share the following comments…
[ed. note — your transcription was done via an app, so there may be some grammatical errors]
Blake on the four injured players:
Both both skated today in red jerseys, Kempe and Mikey Anderson. They’re both getting very close. Arvidsson is LTIR until I think Dallas [Mar. 16], on that trip, he’s eligible to come off of LTIR. He’s on schedule, still on progress. But right around that timeframe. Carl Grundstrom is probably a couple of weeks after that.
On if the plan was always for today to be a quiet day given the cap constraints:
You listen. We were never planning on taking away from the team, that was never the situation. Injuries came into play here the last couple of weeks, the timing of them. It’s gonna be nice to get a couple guys back here within a week and then the other two shortly after that.
On if he views those guys as de facto additions:
Well, we haven’t had them all. I think three games maybe with everyone. That’s with our xxxx and everything. But those those four players are important parts; so yes, we welcome them back.
On if the lack of cap space and/or 2024 Draft capital tied his hands today:
Well, cap space always makes it difficult. Yeah.
On Jacob Moverare being rewarded with a new contract:
It was really nice to see. I listened to some of his teammates speak on him, and that’s genuine. I think that’s the same sentiment from from staff with Jacob over the years. So really nice to see him come through of late.
On how much he’s counting on prior big moves for key players to deliver from this point forward:
I think I have met you guys every month. That’s our team, yeah.
On if Jim Hiller has instilled the confidence in his team:
I don’t know, confidence. We had success prior to that, obviously. And they seem to have that energy, but I think the last four or five games playing a very structured game and had to with some of the guys out of the lineup that provide a little bit of a different type of offense because they had that ability and stuff. But the overall team game has come back to showing where it was showing there early in the season.
On Hiller’s recent use of the 11-7 configuration:
We’ve experimented with that at different times. You know, trying to find different rhythms with the forwards and without some of those guys in there, you don’t traditionally have a full three lines. You have pairs and you kind of move the guys in around. Maybe I shouldn’t speculate, but maybe as a coach, you could find it easier to move guys in and out of their spots.
On the excitement of seeing Quinton Byfield take a bigger role within the team:
Yeah, he’s really stepped up there, just the overall game. The pace that he plays with definitely helps our team.
On any recent conversations with Matt Roy and a new contract:
He talked to us as we told him the plan coming into this week and that we want to get through the year.
Ok how hopeful he is on being able to resign him:
He’s a big part of our team.
On Blake Lizotte playing his 300th NHL game last night:
I don’t think he’s ever spent a day in the American Hockey League. Whether that was because of a conditioning thing or that, so they come right out of college as a free agent and establish himself, but it’s all based off hard work and we see it and it rubs off on other players.
On the Trade deadline Arms Race around the Western Conference this week:
I suppose. I don’t know if there’s much of difference in the East or West or whatever.
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