Blake Bracing for Trade

DENVER —  The Kings say they can’t afford to sign defenseman Rob Blake for more than $8 million a season for five years. Blake believes the Kings simply aren’t willing to meet his figure of $9.6 million a season and will trade him soon. “It definitely appears their minds are set in that direction,” said his agent, Ron Salcer.

The only certainty Saturday, as trade rumors continued to swirl around the 1998 Norris Trophy winner, was that barring a major retrenchment by Blake, his time as a King is short. General Manager Dave Taylor said no trade is imminent, but he is actively discussing what he can get for Blake, who has rejected a five-year, $40-million offer and is intent on becoming an unrestricted free agent July 1.

“We haven’t narrowed anything down,” Taylor said. “We’ve had discussions with numerous teams. I do want to say Rob has done a very good job focusing on playing and what he’s doing on the ice, even with all the attention he’s received.”

Blake drew the second-largest gathering of reporters at Saturday’s All-Star news conference, trailing only Mario Lemieux in the size of the throng surrounding him. “I get traded every day,” he said, smiling. “Obviously, there’s no real deal in sight and if they know there’s no deal and nothing’s going to get done, it’s a business and they’re going to get what they can.”

Club President Tim Leiweke praised Blake’s professionalism and acknowledged the Kings will be vilified if they trade Blake, whose jarring hits and offensive skills make him a rare and valuable impact player. “If people want to cancel their tickets, I understand it,” Leiweke said. “That’s their right. But I don’t believe this is a step backward. We will be active during this trade and the off-season to build this team into one that’s consistent and competitive.”

Leiweke said the Kings can’t afford to devote a quarter or a third of their payroll to one player and also pay enough other players to build a Stanley Cup contender.

“We’re trying to run this so we don’t put this franchise in jeopardy,” said Leiweke, who said the payroll has doubled to $37.5 million during his four-year tenure. “Just because our owner [Philip Anschutz] has the financial resources doesn’t mean we can spend like wild bandits. This franchise has done that before and there have been some low points because of that. . . .

“We’re in 10th place [in the West]. We’ve been to the Stanley Cup [finals] once. We’ve been to the playoffs three times in 10 years. Is that Rob’s fault? No. That’s not the point. In hockey, more than other sports, to have one or two superstars is not going to get you to the Stanley Cup. A good example is Anaheim. They have two of the best players in the game today [Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya] and look where they are, [last in the West]. That doesn’t mean we’re going to go to a $17-million payroll, because we’re L.A. But we can go to a team concept and use our resources on depth.”

Leiweke affirmed his faith Taylor will make a deal that will strengthen the club. “We’re at a point now where for our team to have a jolt wouldn’t be a bad thing,” he said. “This is not working as a business or competitively.”

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NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who presided over a two-hour meeting of the league’s board of governors, said the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to Wayne Gretzky and developer Steve Ellman “remains a work in progress,” and said he has been told Ellman will soon assemble the financing to close the deal. Ellman has had difficulty securing investors and finalizing arrangements for the new arena the Coyotes need to improve their shaky economic standing.

On another matter, Bettman said there’s no basis for fears the Montreal Canadiens’ prospective new American owner, George Gillett Jr., will move the team.

Bettman also said the NHL won’t extend its 12-day Olympic break next season to provide more practice time for teams heading to the Salt Lake City Winter Games. However, he said the format for next year’s All-Star game, to be held Feb. 2 at Staples Center, will change.

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The North American all-stars defeated the World all-stars, 15-13, in the skills contest. Individual winners were Fredrik Modin of Tampa Bay, for the hardest shot (102.1 mph); Bill Guerin of Boston, for the fastest skater (13.896 seconds for a lap around the rink); Ray Bourque of Colorado, as the most accurate shooter (four of six targets); and Sean Burke of Phoenix, in the goaltending competition in a shootout.