Center Blake Not One to Skate

Three weeks ago, Jason Blake suffered a four-week knee injury, but don’t bother asking him if he’ll be ready to play when the Kings open their season Saturday night at Nashville.

“He’d say he was ready if he was 40%,” said Dave Taylor, the King senior vice president and general manager, chuckling.

Actually, Blake’s right knee tested at 85% only two weeks after surgery to deal with torn cartilage, and the center practiced Tuesday.

“Oh, yeah, I know I can play in my heart,” said Blake, who came to the Kings last season for a one-game tryout, scored a goal and was signed to a three-year, $1.85-million contract. “But that’s not up to me.”

Blake ticked off the days until Saturday, counting each in his rehabilitative favor, and Coach Andy Murray agreed.

“Boy, if today was any indication he certainly will be [ready],” Murray said. “I thought the first 45 minutes of practice he was the best player on the ice.”

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Who Blake will skate with on the fourth line remains a question, and the answer will determine the NHL fate of several players in the next 48 hours. The Kings have to be down to 23 players by Thursday, and Murray went that cut one extra Tuesday.

“I’d like to get down to 22,” he said. “It’s a fairly long road trip [to open the season], so I might take an extra one.”

Teams dress 18 skaters and two goalies for each game.

“I think you’ve got one extra forward and one extra defenseman [with a 22-player roster],” Murray said. “That’s all you should have around. Those other guys need to be playing, particularly when we’ve got Long Beach next door.”

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The Kings are expected to keep Rich Brennan, a defenseman picked up in the waiver draft Tuesday, on the NHL roster for depth purposes, at least until the issues of unsigned Mattias Norstrom and Jere Karalahti, who has yet to report because of immigration problems, are resolved. Brennan practiced Tuesday and impressed coaches with his shooting.