Jason Blake no longer captain of the Los Angeles Kings. It was a short-lived tenure by the tiny winger. Blake was acquired in a trade for Craig Conroy. Within a few weeks Jason Blake had signed a big-money 3 year extension and was wearing the captains C in Los Angeles.
Blake “It was an honor to wear a ‘C’ in the OTHL even if it was only for a few months. I was happy to play my part and would have had no problem staying on as Captain and veteran while the franchise was being rebuild. I understand the system that in pro sports management sometimes has to make big decisions and getting 3 younger players and an early first round pick is good return for any 34 year old is good business for a re-building franchise. My time in LA was good, management had confidence in me as a player and gave me a long-term contract”
The Los Angeles Kings will now finish the season without a Captain.
GM Siemsen “We lost our captain today but we gained 4 nice assets that we hope will benefit us in the future. Joe Pavelski is an excellent playmaker, Svitov is a gritty kid that could evolve offensively too and finally there’s the enigmatic Samsonov. He was a terrible fit in San Jose. We will give him time to find his game again. If he does we will have a very talented first line player somewhere down the line. Getting a fairly early first round pick is nice too. What we do with it – time will tell. Maybe someone will make a good offer and we’ll trade it right away ... or we could use it on draft day to get a talented kid ... time will tell.”