Kings could have dealt Blake

Los Angeles Kings pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Rob Blake tells Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun he was willing to waive the no-trade clause in his contract if the club asked him to do so.

“I left it in their hands,” Blake told the Sun yesterday. “It was up to them.”

A number of teams, including the Colorado Avalanche, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks and Ottawa Senators, are said to have called the Kings to inquire about Blake’s availability.

And while it may have been tempting to go to a contender and try to win another Stanley Cup, Blake says that the club’s decision to hang on to him was received well. It was Blake’s desire to remain with the Kings all along.

“I’m happy it worked out the way it did. Yes, going to a contender with a chance to win the Cup was an exciting possibility, but when I signed here two years ago, it was to help this team to improve and make the playoffs. I just wanted them to do whatever they felt was right. It hasn’t quite worked out the way I wanted it to work when I signed here, but there’s a lot of young talent here, a lot of young skilled players and we’ve just got to get some pieces in around them to help them improve.”

Not only did Blake want to finish the season in Los Angeles, but the veteran blueliner is also hoping to sign a one-year contract extension with the Kings. Among his reasons is the fact that the Kings have a bright future ahead of them due to their slew of young and talented players.

“The young guys here just have to make the next step,” said Blake. “Guys like (Alexander) Frolov, (Anze) Kopitar, (Jack) Johnson and (Mike) Cammalleri, these are the guys who get the minutes and they just need to take it to the next step with the right people around them.”

Kings GM Dean Lombardi says that Blake’s return to the club will depend mostly on him.

“A lot of that is going to be up to (Blake),” said Lombardi.

Translation: Blake will have to take a significant pay cut if the Kings are to bring him back. Especially if they have any intentions of chasing other UFAs.

In an effort to reshape their blueline, Garrioch suggests that the Kings may make a play for Senators defenseman Wade Redden, who can hit the open market July 1st.