The Los Angeles Kings announced on Wednesday that they have hired Ken Holland, a Hall of Fame hockey executive, to serve as their new general manager.
Holland, aged 69, joins the Kings after a year away from the NHL, having departed the Edmonton Oilers in June 2024. He led the Oilers for five seasons, following a highly successful 22-year period as the head of the Detroit Red Wings organization, where he oversaw four Stanley Cup victories during his three decades with the club.
He takes over from Rob Blake, who mutually agreed to leave the Kings earlier this month after managing hockey operations for eight seasons. The Kings had reached a consistent level, making the playoffs four years in a row, but were eliminated by the Oilers in the first round on each occasion.
A former NHL goaltender with four games played, Holland is widely regarded as one of the most respected and accomplished hockey executives of the last 50 years. His contributions were recognized with induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder in 2020.
In Detroit, he established a consistent powerhouse, continuously rebuilding the roster throughout the latter 20 years of the Red Wings` impressive run of 25 consecutive playoff berths. This streak concluded in 2017, and Holland moved to manage the Oilers in 2019.
Holland also achieved success with the Oilers, assembling a team capable of supporting superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and overcoming previous years of underperformance. Under his leadership, Edmonton reached the playoffs five times, advanced to two Western Conference Finals, and reached the Stanley Cup Final once, losing in Game 7 to the Florida Panthers in June 2024.
In Los Angeles, Holland isn`t faced with a full-scale rebuild. His task is rather to maximize the potential of a skilled roster that has performed well in the regular season but consistently faltered against the Oilers in the first round of the playoffs.
The Kings have not won a playoff series since securing their second Stanley Cup in 2014. This season, the team tied franchise records for wins (48) and points (105) but were swept by Edmonton in four consecutive games after initially winning the first two at home.
Last week, Kings President Luc Robitaille stated that the new general manager would make the final decision regarding head coach Jim Hiller`s future. Hiller took charge in February 2024 and guided the team to two playoff berths. Robitaille expressed considerable confidence that Hiller would be kept on by the incoming GM.
Notably, Hiller previously worked under Holland during the 2014-15 season as an assistant coach for the Red Wings under Mike Babcock. Both Babcock and Hiller subsequently joined the Toronto Maple Leafs the following season.
Holland becomes the 10th general manager in the history of the Kings franchise, and remarkably, only the fourth since 1997 for this `Second Six` expansion team.
Blake had succeeded Dean Lombardi, who was instrumental in building the Kings` two Stanley Cup-winning teams over his 11 seasons. While Blake successfully returned the team to playoff contention, Robitaille indicated that Blake concurred a change in direction was necessary following their most recent first-round playoff exit.
Holland`s initial tasks will include making decisions on unrestricted free agents such as defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and forward Andrei Kuzmenko. Kuzmenko significantly boosted the Kings` offense, particularly their struggling power play, after arriving via a late-season trade.
He will also need to address the situation surrounding 36-year-old defenseman Drew Doughty. Doughty missed significant time last season due to injury and is scheduled to earn $11 million in each of the upcoming two seasons while remaining with the only NHL team he has ever played for.
The Kings still boast a strong core of veteran players under contract, including long-time captain Anze Kopitar, who has stated his intention to return for his 20th season with the team.
Tristan Blackwood