For all these upset with the Kings’ third straight exit from the NHL playoffs within the first spherical, Rob Blake, the workforce’s normal supervisor, has a message: He feels your ache.
“Just a very difficult end to the season,” Blake mentioned Monday in his first public feedback for the reason that Kings had been eradicated from the postseason by the Edmonton Oilers final Wednesday. “A lot of disappointment, a lot of frustration, a lot of anger. I don’t think we performed at nearly the level we needed to to have success in the playoffs.”
As for what he intends to do about that, examine again this summer time. Because whereas Blake’s information convention was lengthy on frustration and disappointment, it was brief on the particular steps he plans to take to sort things.
Which isn’t to say he mentioned nothing. He did say the workforce had no intention of shopping for out the final seven years of middle Pierre-Luc Dubois’ $68-million contract. He additionally mentioned the destiny of interim coach Jim Hiller remained undetermined and that the long-term answer at goaltender “probably isn’t in place in this team right now.”
And although Blake has a powerful core to construct round — forwards Anze Kopitar, Kevin Fiala, Adrian Kempe, Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore together with defensemen Drew Doughty and Mikey Anderson, who’re all beneath contract for a minimum of two extra seasons — the Kings have seven gamers set to turn into unrestricted free brokers, amongst them defenseman Matt Roy, ahead Trevor Lewis and goaltenders Cam Talbot and David Rittich.
“We still believe this group has made progress in a lot of different areas,” Blake mentioned. “We have to find a way to get that to translate into the playoffs.”
How a lot time Blake, 54, a Hall of Fame defenseman whose No. 4 jerseys hangs from the rafters at Crypto.com Arena, has to make that occur is unsure. He is getting into the final season on his contract as normal supervisor, having assumed the place in 2017, then signing a three-year extension as that deal was expiring. And whereas the Kings have made the playoffs 4 occasions throughout Blake’s tenure, they haven’t superior past the primary spherical.
It’s maybe comprehensible that Blake has extra questions than solutions at this level for the reason that Kings had been anticipating to be getting ready for a second-round sequence with the Vancouver Canucks this week. Instead, they’re getting ready for subsequent season.
Blake mentioned he deliberate to spend a lot of the following few weeks speaking with gamers and workers, together with Hiller, who was tasked with getting the workforce to the playoffs when he changed Todd McLellan in early February. He did that, but whether or not that was sufficient for him to earn him the job full time, neither the final supervisor nor workforce president Luc Robitaille would say.
Kings middle Pierre-Luc Dubois warms up earlier than a sport in opposition to the Nashville Predators in January. Dubois struggled in his first season with the Kings.
(George Walker IV / Associated Press)
“Luc and I, some of the hockey staff, will meet with him and just go over the exact changes that he would feel would go into place before we get a decision,” mentioned Blake, who declined to say how lengthy that course of would take.
One problem Blake conceded was sure to return up in these conferences with Hiller was the destiny of the workforce’s 1-3-1 neutral-zone entice. The Kings have had success with that system, which makes use of three gamers to clog up the impartial zone and make it troublesome for opponents to enter the offensive zone in management. But some gamers have complained the model of play has turn into too stale and predictable.
“We have to have a deep discussion on that for sure,” Blake mentioned.
“When we talk a little bit about the systematic changes and different things that may be incorporated, we have to understand why the game didn’t translate into the playoffs. The team has had success, has gotten to playoffs. But by no means is that good enough.”
Regarding Dubois who, not counting the COVID-interrupted 2020-21 season, had profession lows for targets (16) and assists (24) in his first season with the Kings, Blake mentioned the answer lies with the workforce, not the participant.
“We need to make him better,” Blake mentioned. “He’s had a consistent performance over his career and deviated from that this year. So it’s up to us as a staff — coaches and management — to help him become more productive to us.”
As for the goaltender state of affairs, the Kings have just one goalie (Aaron Dell, a 35-year-old backup with the Ontario Reign) with any NHL expertise all through the group. Blake, nonetheless, is excessive on 23-year-old Erik Portillo, who has performed properly for the Reign, the Kings’ AHL affiliate.
“We don’t have as a long-term solution other than we have a young player that has played very well in Ontario,” he mentioned. “It takes time for that position.”