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Rob Blake Signed by San Jose
by Paul on 07/03/08 at 04:16 PM ET
Comments (7)
via Inside the Kings,
I have an unconfirmed report, from a source very close to Rob Blake, that he has signed with San Jose for $5 million.
Update 5:19pm ET: Confirmed by Inside the Kings:
Rob Blake has signed with San Jose, apparently for one year and $5 million. I’ve confirmed this with two sources close to the situation but the Sharks have yet to release word of this.
Update 6:02pm ET: TSN reports this as breaking news, “TSN has learned the San Jose Sharks have signed defenceman Rob Blake to a one-year deal.”
Update 6:06pm ET: From David Pollack at Working the Corners—
Expect the official announcement in about an hour, but the Sharks have signed veteran defenseman Rob Blake to a one-year, $5 million contract.
Sharks GM Doug Wilson declined to discuss the impending announcement of what will be the Sharks’ first free-agent signing of the summer, saying it was “a little premature.” But he didn’t shoot down the report that first surfaced on a Southern California web site.
A “Southern California web site”? Is it that hard to provide credit?? Sheesh.
Update 6:09pm ET: San Jose Sharks press release below.
SHARKS SIGN FREE AGENT DEFENSEMAN ROB BLAKE
SAN JOSE – San Jose Sharks Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson announced today that the team has signed Group III unrestricted free agent defenseman Rob Blake to a one-year contract. In keeping with club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Blake, 38, is tied for fourth among active NHL defensemen (T-22nd in NHL history) with 702 points (223-479=702) and first among active defensemen in goals (223, 14th in NHL history) in 1,127 career NHL regular season games with Los Angeles and Colorado.
He just finished his 18th career season in 2007-08, recording 31 points (9-22=31) in 71 games with Los Angeles. He posted five power play goals and accumulated 98 penalty minutes.
“Rob is a tremendous competitor that has been one of the top defensemen in this League for many years,” said Wilson. “While he has enjoyed mentoring the young guys, great players need the ability to win in order to thrive and his sole purpose here is to focus on winning.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Rob+Blake,
Comments
Smacks of desperation.
Posted by Karina on 07/03/08 at 04:37 PM ET
Ty Wishart has a good chance of making the club this season—aside from bringing in his skill set for the blue line, this signing provides an excellent mentor for the youngsters.
Posted by Mike from San Jose on 07/03/08 at 05:13 PM ET
I think without a doubt that Blake would be a good mentor. But $5 mil still seems high.
A “Southern California web site”?
Hey, maybe there’s only one and we’re all supposed to already know what it is. Too funny! 
Posted by BobTheZee on 07/03/08 at 06:47 PM ET
This signing in no way replaces Campbell’s absence and, yes, smells a little like desperate fish. ah well, glad I’m not a fan
Posted by Osrt on 07/03/08 at 11:03 PM ET
Good signing. I’ll take Blake over Campbell’s $7 mil soft play any day.
Posted by Natty Dread on 07/03/08 at 11:20 PM ET
You guys really aren’t giving Blake enough credit. He’s carried the Kings for a long time, and was critical in Denver’s Cup run. Even at 38, he’s still a top defenseman in this league, and he’ll be a big asset to SJ.
Posted by Franco from MI on 07/03/08 at 11:48 PM ET
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Pretty pricey for a 38 year old…
Posted by NHLJeff from Pens fan in Chicago, IL on 07/03/08 at 04:35 PM ET