In anticipation of the Kings beginning their 2024-25 NHL campaign in Buffalo on Thursday night, LA GM Rob Blake met with the assembled media over zoom earlier today to share the following comments…
On why he believes this team could be better equipped for the playoffs:
Right now, for the first few weeks of training camp, we experimented with the different line combinations. It feels pretty deep from the top down. Plus, the style they want to play. That’s what we’re hoping for. We’re going to be able to attack a little differently. But, the balance of the lines is probably the biggest advantage.
On the injury status of Drew Doughty and Arthur Kaliyev:
Obviously, Arthur will be back before Drew. Let’s start with Drew; he’s month-to-month. He had a successful surgery, as we put out there a week ago. We’ll let that heal, he’s still based off of a month-to-month [timeline]. With Arthur and the broken collarbone, he had it repaired. He was in the six-to-eight week range, and I think it’s tracking the same from the reports we’ve received.
On if the team is better prepared for the playoffs this time around and adjusting to all the new players on the roster:
We have to adjust to that right away. I think they’ve made some good adjustments during camp, but we’ve got to unfold that as the regular season goes on. We are going to do what we can to get into the playoffs, and then we want to see how we’re equipped for that.
On the reports he went on the ice with PL Dubois last season:
I don’t think it’s anything [unusual] that I haven’t done in the past years with different players. It’s more of a development type role. You know, we’re using our development staff. We had some time during the season with the break around the All-Star game, and we went on [the ice] just to work on some fundamentals. But, nothing unusual that I haven’t done in the past.
On if the switch from 1-3-1 to 1-2-2 was a change that was spearheaded by coach Jim Hiller or if it was more of an organizational decision:
Jim brought that to us early in the summer. But, I think the overall philosophy with the change in the coaching staff and some new players and different things, they wanted to address that style or that system of play. That’s where the 1-2-2 came in.
On where the Kings will find their biggest strengths now playing in this new style:
I think depth, and the ability to play a little quicker based off of some positioning on turnovers and that and where they want to get to, I think it fits the style of this team that Jim has in front of him here to start the season.
On if the plan was to move Quinton Byfield to center regardless of what happened with Dubois over the summer:
Eventually, yes. I think that we’ve been pretty upfront with that. We started him out at wing to get him into the league, and obviously to grow with Kopitar and that. But, our vision when we drafted him was always as the center.
On Vladislav Gavrikov entering his potential walk year (as an unrestricted free agent next summer), similar to Matt Roy last season:
I would say, as the season goes on, we’ll see different situations unfold and we’ll understand that better. Right now, let’s get the season going and see where we’re at.
On Andre Lee making the team:
We watched his development in Ontario the past couple of years, but I think what happened here during camp is he just flat outplayed other players and put himself in a situation where Jim wanted him in the lineup throughout the training camp and in different situations. He kept earning the trust of the coaches, and good for him to be able to start the season with his first game here tonight. It will be exciting for him and his family is coming in. Again, what he did was just basically outplay other players to earn that spot.
On what’s possible with Byfield now back in the middle:
Driving his own line; that’s why he’s put in the middle. He’s much more mature than he was a few years ago, physically. We saw his ability to play some there last year and we expect him to continue to grow there. I think it’s that leadership role of taking over your own line, but also being a very good young leader on this team.
On him (Blake) entering the final year of his contract and if there have been any contract extension talks yet:
No. We’ll wait and see.
On if the Kings are looking externally for help on the fourth line:
We’re comfortable starting the way we are. Tonight, we’ll have Lee and Lewis on the wing, with Turcotte in the middle. But we have different options there. It seems the top three lines are set for the most part, as we saw throughout camp, when we did play a majority of the roster.
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