When Rob Blake hunkers down in his office for the final hours leading up to the NHL trade deadline Monday, he'll be just like any other general manager.
He'll stare at the organizational depth chart on the white board and try to improve his team. But it's going to take a special deal for Blake to get out his black marker and move major pieces around.
Since he became Kings general manager last year, Blake has stuck to his approach of keeping them contending without compromising the future. He got a jump on the deadline in the last two weeks when he added veteran defenseman Dion Phaneuf, forward Nate Thompson and speedy winger Tobias Rieder, all without giving up draft picks or prospects.