Blake Drawing Interest

A report out of New York that the Rangers were in pursuit of King captain Rob Blake was news to the defenseman’s agent.

“Give them my phone number,” said Ron Salcer, laughing Thursday.

New York, which has given up more goals than any NHL team, is in pursuit of anybody who can play defense, and Glen Sather, the Ranger general manager, has talked with Dave Taylor, his King counterpart, about Blake.

But that doesn’t make Sather different from Toronto’s Pat Quinn or, for that matter, any of the other 27 NHL general managers.

The on-again, off-again contract talks between the Kings and Blake were on again in a meeting between Salcer and Taylor four days ago.

“We agreed to disagree,” Salcer said. “But I don’t have any idea that talks have broken off.”

The Kings refused comment.

The specter of a trade has hovered over Blake since training camp. Blake can be an unrestricted free agent after the season and New York is one of several places he was to be dispatched.

But the biggest indicator of a deal in the works would be the Kings giving another team permission to negotiate with Salcer, and that has not happened. No trade is believed likely unless the team acquiring Blake is able to lock him into a long-term deal. Talks for such a deal would probably begin at $8-10 million a season, which limits the market to about a half-dozen teams, including the Rangers, Toronto, Philadelphia, Detroit and St. Louis.

And, perhaps, the Kings. Blake, after all, doesn’t want to leave.

TONIGHT

at Minnesota, 5 p.m.

Fox Sports Net

* Site--Xcel Energy Center.

* Radio--KSPN (1110).

* Records--Kings 15-11-7-1, Wild 9-17-6-2.

* Record vs. Wild--1-0.

* Update--Minnesota has been tough to play at home, beating Dallas, 6-0, on Sunday. The Wild also tied Ottawa, 2-2, on Wednesday night. Darcy Hendrickson had two goals in each of the last two games, giving him six for the season.