NHL Hot Seat Radar: Rob Blake Under Huge Pressure to Produce Real Playoff Success for Kings

The Los Angeles Kings had another disappointing playoff performance last year, putting big pressure on GM Rob Blake to deliver some actual success. Meanwhile, emerging star center Quinton Byfield and his new contract extension sit comfortably in L.A.

For the past few seasons, the Los Angeles Kings have failed to have any real post-season success, with last season's five-game fumble to the Oilers in the first round being the latest. With that, the team currently faces a large amount of pressure to either perform or face potential changes, and they're the latest team being covered in THN.com’s Hot Seat Radar series.

We point out someone on the 'hot seat' who faces considerable pressure to achieve solid results or deal with the consequences. We’re also picking a person in every file on the 'cold seat' as an individual who is highly secure in their position and relationship with their respective team. 

As the Kings backslid out of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Oilers for the third straight season – each time, winning one fewer game against Edmonton – calls began coming for Blake’s head. 

Los Angeles has an above-average lineup, but for one reason or another, they have proven to be a group that can’t get the job done when the games matter most. And now, as he starts his eighth year on the job – a lifetime in the GM business – Blake has to put together a squad that can do some serious damage in the post-season, or be removed from power in L.A.

This is not to say Blake hasn’t done good things for the Kings. With gamers like forwards Phillip Danault, Kevin Fiala and Quinton Byfield, Los Angeles has players other teams would love to take off their hands. But the mistakes have been piling up rapidly – Blake admitted he was wrong to sign forward Pierre-Luc Dubois by trading him to Washington this summer – and a good number of hockey observers are questioning his other moves this off-season, including bringing in goalie Darcy Kuemper, signing veteran blueliner Joel Edmundson and trading for winger Tanner Jeannot.

Clearly, Blake wants his team to be tougher to play against, but there’s no guarantee the new-look Kings will be an improvement on what we’ve seen in recent years. There’s also no guarantee that the Kings will make the playoffs at all in an improved Pacific Division. And if they don’t make it, or once again fail to get out of the first round, Blake’s time as the architect of the Kings will come to an end. Blake is officially on the clock now, and nothing less than a notable step forward will preserve his job security.

One of the moves Blake made this off-season that nobody is complaining about is the five-year, $31.25-million contract extension for budding star Byfield. Keeping the 21-year-old pivot under contract at a salary cap hit of $6.25 million is terrific work, and Byfield, who had a breakout year in 2023-24 with 20 goals and 55 points in 80 games, is likely to only make that contract look like more of a bargain.

As the Kings near the end of the career of 36-year-old captain and first-line center Anze Kopitar, Byfield is poised to take his place and become a bedrock component of L.A.’s blueprint for success. Byfield has been brought along carefully, and as he took his game to another level in 2023-24, Byfield put the league on notice that he’s got the potential to dominate at the highest level. 

Byfield is not going to be traded under any circumstance, and he’s going to be given every opportunity to be the main needle-mover for the organization. He is one player every hockey fan should keep their eyes on, as he proved last season he was right to be selected second overall in 2020. His vision, instincts and dogged determination to succeed make him highly valuable to the Kings, and he’s still got many years to ratchet up his performance to all-star levels.