Kings Fire GM After First-Round Exit

“On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Rob for his dedication to the LA Kings and the passion he brought to his role,” team president Luc Robitaille said in a statement. “Reaching this understanding wasn’t easy and I appreciate Rob’s partnership in always working toward what is best for the Kings. Rob deserves a great deal of credit and respect for elevating us to where we are today. He has been an important part of the Kings and will always be appreciated for what he has meant to this franchise.”

Blake, who spent the majority of his Hall of Fame career with the Kings, took over as the team's general manger for the 2017-18 season. In eight years at the helm, he helped Los Angeles to a 309-238-71 regular-season record (.557 points percentage) and five playoff appearances.

However, the Kings failed to win a single playoff series during his tenure and haven't won one since they won the Stanley Cup in 2014.

Furthermore, Blake made some questionable moves over his tenure. Most notably, the trade for Pierre-Luc Dubois in 2023 quickly turned into a disaster, as the players the Kings traded to the Winnipeg Jets are now thriving while Dubois only lasted one year in Los Angeles. He admittedly made the most of a bad situation by trading Dubois for goaltender Darcy Kuemper last offseason, but it's still a messy saga overall.

As they begin their search for a new general manager, the Kings will look for the right person to finally get them over the hump in the playoffs.