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Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kings GM Makes Bold Promise Heading Into Offseason
The Los Angeles Kings were eliminated from the postseason for the fourth straight year by the Edmonton Oilers. Despite leading the series 2-0 at one point, this season, Los Angeles wasn't able to keep the explosive Oilers offense at bay. The team now heads into a massive offseason, and it could see some big changes coming. The Kings have already hired a new general manager, bringing in former Oilers executive Ken Holland. Advertisement With the addition of Holland, there was some thought that he could look to replace some other members of the front office. But it seems that Holland instead is looking forward to working with everyone. 'I'm going to keep everybody,' Holland said. 'They had 105 points. They've gone through a retool. It was a wonderful job by Rob Blake and all the people around him. I mean, they've made the playoffs the last four years in a row.' The Los Angeles Kings celebrate a goal by forward Quinton Byfield (55) during the first period against the Edmonton Oilers in game six of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Nelson-Imagn Images Los Angeles has been very successful over the past few seasons, at least during the regular season. Holland likely understands this and doesn't want to mess with anything too much moving forward. Advertisement Holland has won multiple Stanley Cup titles as an executive, so he knows what it takes to win. The Kings circled in on Holland fairly quickly after the playoff exit, and they are hopeful that he can deliver for them. 'It's a great opportunity, a great organization,' the four-time Stanley Cup champion executive said. It remains to be seen what the roster will look like next season, but the Kings have a solid core in place. If Holland can just tweak this team a little bit, it could be all the juice they need to go on a run next season. Related: Maple Leafs Predicted to Make Big Trade After Playoff Exit Related: Hurricanes Forward Turn Heads With Bold Panthers Series Comments Kings GM Makes Bold Promise Heading Into Offseason first appeared on Athlon Sports on May 22, 2025
New York Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Why Kings could go big-game hunting this NHL offseason: Catching up with Ken Holland
One week into the job, and there are not enough hours in the day. Since being named general manager of the Los Angeles Kings, Ken Holland has been on the phone with fellow GMs, agents and staff — it's been a whirlwind. And he's loved every minute of it. Boy, had he ever missed it. 'It's great being back in a GM chair,' Holland told The Athletic on Wednesday. 'I'm excited.' Advertisement The Hockey Hall of Famer was quick to thank Kings owner Philip Anschutz and team president Luc Robitaille for the opportunity — one that checked all the boxes for him, both professionally and personally. A team that has a chance to win. A big market. A West Coast city that fits nicely with wife Cindi and their home in Vernon, B.C., and a life that includes four kids and 10 grandchildren. It was the perfect package. Now it's time to roll up his sleeves. He's hit the ground running. One of Holland's first decisions was to reach out to Rob Blake, inviting him out for dinner to pick his brain. Not every outgoing GM would be interested in that kind of invite, but it's telling of the person that Blake is that he accepted. 'Being the classy, professional gentleman that he is, we got together for dinner for two and a half hours and talked a lot about the team and some other things,' Holland said. 'So very, very valuable for me.' Holland has decided to keep Blake's front-office group pretty much intact, which includes wanting to keep Nelson Emerson (AGM), Glen Murray (senior director, player personnel) and Marc Bergevin (senior adviser to GM) in the fold, among others, although we'll see what happens with Bergevin on the New York Islanders GM front, where he's interviewed twice, per league sources. 'I'm going to keep everybody,' Holland said. 'They had 105 points. They've gone through a retool. It was a wonderful job by Rob Blake and all the people around him. I mean, they've made the playoffs the last four years in a row.' Holland didn't blow up the Edmonton Oilers' front office, either, when he got there. He did bring three people in of his own. 'I am going to bring in a person on board here, someone that knows how I think, and other than that, I look forward to working with Nelson and Glen and Luc and (head coach) Jim Hiller and everyone there,' Holland said. Advertisement Holland wouldn't say who that person was he was bringing in, but I would be surprised if it wasn't Tyler Wright, who was with him with the Detroit Red Wings and the Oilers. As for Bergevin, if he doesn't end up as the new Islanders GM, both sides are fine working together in L.A. 'Berg has been a general manager in Montreal,' Holland said. 'His name is floated around out there. I wouldn't hold him back. I wouldn't hold anyone back if they had a chance to become a general manager or a head coach. But if Berg is back, I've obviously got a great relationship with him. We were together on the 2016 World Cup Canadian management team. We spent a good month together, and obviously we were both GMs and he's a former Red Wings player in the 1990s when I was in the front office there. 'If Berg stays, certainly he'll be somebody that will be very important to me. Because he's been in the chair, and that experience is always valuable.' Ironically, Holland himself met and interviewed with the Islanders this spring as part of their GM search process, although he would not comment on that. There's also been interest over the past year from a couple of other NHL teams, wanting Holland as a senior adviser. 'I did talk to some other teams, but at the end of the day, the situation had to work for my wife and I,' he said. 'We've got four kids and we have 10 grandkids. Family is No. 1.' In the end, the Kings' GM job called out to him for all kinds of reasons, and Cindi was obviously an important part of it. 'I spent a lot of days on the road in my life,' Holland said. 'She was home raising the kids and taking them to those school events, and I was missing birthday parties, I said to Cindi that if I had an opportunity to come back (as an NHL GM) and that if it fit for Cindi and fit for me, I would be interested in it. Advertisement 'But at this stage of our lives, it had to be a decision that worked for the both of us.' And again, the Kings' job was perfect in every way. 'It worked personally and professionally,' Holland. After a year out of team management, Holland said his juices were starting to flow this past season. He never saw himself as potentially retired, but rather as unemployed. He stayed in touch with the game by taking on an advisory role with NHL Hockey Ops, which allowed him to attend GM meetings and Board of Governors meetings. He watched NHL games every night all year long. After his mutually agreed-upon exit from the Oilers last June following a Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup Final, Holland feels re-energized and absolutely up to trying to take the Kings to the next level. 'It's a great opportunity, a great organization,' the four-time Stanley Cup champion executive said. Holland's hire wasn't met with unanimous praise. Some segments of the Kings' fan base wanted younger blood. A more modern vision. And you get that, for sure, from their perspective. And like any GM, Holland hasn't batted 1.000. But if you look at where the Oilers were when he took over and where they were when he left, sometimes you miss the forest for the trees. The Oilers were a mess when he got there, despite having the best player in the world. They were a win short of winning the Cup when Holland left, the hockey culture completely overhauled in the process. Does that mean Holland will lead the Kings to the promised land? No one can answer that for sure. But I know he won't be afraid to swing for the fences. You can absolutely bet he's going to be aggressive this summer trying to upgrade the Kings roster. 'It's a good team,' Holland said. 'There's good veteran leadership on the team. There's some good young kids that are on the come up. It's L.A. It's got a great history. It's a great brand. It's an entertainment capital. Hopefully I can make a few decisions and we can convince a player or two to come join us like we were able to do in Detroit and able to do in Edmonton.' Advertisement The Kings have the salary cap space to swing hard enough. 'I plan to be aggressive,' Holland said. 'Ownership is prepared to go to the cap. The goal is to put a competitive team on the ice and, at the right time, be aggressive to try to make the team better and more exciting. Whether that happens in the next six to seven weeks or next year at the trade deadline or next offseason … but certainly the plan is to be aggressive at the right time.' I would be surprised if the Kings didn't enter the Mitch Marner sweepstakes, for example, if the pending unrestricted free agent is indeed available July 1. Just like I would be pretty surprised if the Kings didn't do all they could to enter a Connor McDavid frenzy if, for whatever reason, the best player in the world doesn't extend with the Oilers. (I'm not saying he won't extend. I'm just saying in case he doesn't.) No name will be too big for Holland. He's going to be big-game hunting to get the Kings over the hump.
New York Times
16-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Don't be so quick to mock the L.A. Kings' hiring of GM Ken Holland
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Narratives can run wild in this instantaneous digital age. And when it comes to Ken Holland, the four-time Stanley Cup champion executive and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, those narratives often aren't very flattering. He only won because he had some of the greatest players of that era on his rosters. Advertisement He will saddle teams with terrible, immovable contracts. He doesn't develop young players to balance out those overpayments. He is an antiquated general manager and the game has passed him by. That was the worry among some of the Los Angeles Kings' faithful – and a source of joy among fans of their rivals – as Holland was introduced as the Kings' general manager on Thursday. The fear is that their push for the Stanley Cup will end in failure and that the fallout will result in great damage. The thing with narratives is that while they often contain elements of truth, they also can get twisted. So, how about this: Could it be that Holland's hiring isn't a disaster and might actually be — gasp — a good thing? The Kings are in win-now mode, a path they started down years ago under former GM Rob Blake and doubled down on by hiring Holland. The roster is geared to contend, even though the Kings haven't escaped the first round since 2014. Holland wasn't brought in to rip it to shreds and start another rebuild. So, what is so terrible about bringing in someone who has, you know, won? 'He knows the path of what it takes to get to the championship,' Robitaille said Thursday. 'And that's a hard thing to do and it's a hard thing to learn. And obviously his experience, what he's done over his career, is very important. It's very important at this time for this franchise that we get to that next level.' Perhaps Holland's work with the Detroit Red Wings now seems like a lifetime ago, and the salary cap has leveled the playing field across the NHL. Perhaps other teams have caught up to his forward-thinking way of scouting and unearthing gems. But Holland's five-year stint with the Edmonton Oilers (2019-24) remains fresh. And while there is plenty of focus on his signings of Darnell Nurse and Jack Campbell — or even Campbell's replacement in goal, the embattled Stuart Skinner — many tend to forget that before Holland's arrival, the Oilers weren't a playoff team, even with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Advertisement The Oilers haven't yet scaled the mountain with McDavid and Draisaitl, but they've established a base camp near the top. They have reached their third Western Conference final in four years. Even though Holland departed Edmonton a year ago, his fingerprints remain on a team that won six playoff rounds while he was there and is back in championship contention. (Is it also forgotten that Holland was 60 minutes away from another ring last year, after the Oilers nearly pulled off the impossible by erasing a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Final?) The Kings want results. Now. Holland typically brings them. Of course, the Red Wings eventually had to rebuild, and while he was slow to do so at the end of that run, Holland did start the rebuild in Motown. And you can argue that Steve Yzerman is still trying to dig out from the damage done. A true rebuild usually takes many years — many painful, loss-filled years. Ask Buffalo, Ottawa, Anaheim, Chicago or San Jose what that is like to endure. Do that in Los Angeles and you risk becoming irrelevant — an afterthought in the market, outside of diehard fans. Ignored. The Kings are cognizant of that. They say hiring Holland, with his track record, counters any perception that ownership is merely satisfied with generating playoff revenue. 'I would say this move, I believe, is just further proof that we've always been committed to winning,' said Dan Beckerman, president and CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns the Kings. 'I can't help but notice how we're standing here in the practice rink and I'm looking at the Stanley Cup championship (images on the wall). So, I would say we've always been committed to winning. We've always not been afraid to make bold moves. We're never afraid to – as you've seen – spend to the cap. I think we've always been committed. Advertisement 'I've been here for 27, almost 28 years now and we've always had that commitment to win championships. That's the goal. It can't be to finish in a certain place or make the playoffs.' Once his media question-and-answer session was done, Holland worked the Kings' dressing room, chatting with players, team personnel and reporters. He's always been a natural at that. Holland also made his first big decision, announcing that Jim Hiller will remain as head coach. After arriving in town Tuesday night, Holland spent a large chunk of his time Wednesday talking with Hiller and his staff. He also had a lengthy meeting with Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. 'Jim Hiller did a fabulous job in leading the team to 105 points,' Holland said. 'They were good defensively. They were good in special teams. The team played hard. I thought three weeks ago that this was a team that had the potential and the ability to go on a long playoff run. And he'll be a better coach next year for the experience he went through this year, and I think each year that goes by, I'm a better manager than I was the year before, because I think when you coach and when you manage, and even play, experience is a good thing. It's not a bad thing.' On Thursday, Holland said he's looked back and analyzed his career, and 'probably made two or three or four decisions that might be a mulligan.' He later said, 'Can you poke holes in my resume? You can poke holes at anybody's resume.' Robitaille said that given where the Kings are in their contention window, experience matters in a GM. That's a change from 2017, when he became president of hockey operations and Blake, a first-time GM, replaced Dean Lombardi. Robitaille believes Holland checked all the boxes they looked for in what was a relatively quick search – his interview was a week earlier – and said the 69-year-old Holland exudes 'the belief in what he's talking about right now in building a team and building it piece by piece.' 'I think that my experience allows me to assess the situation and know what's necessary,' Holland said. 'But certainly the thing here is, there's lots of players in their prime. There's some players that are coming. There's some older players that still have a lot to give. And now, can I come in and help make a decision or two that makes us a little bit different, a little bit better?' Beckerman referred to Holland as the proven winner that the Kings need now. The Kings missed a golden opportunity to put together a playoff run when they lost four consecutive games taking a 2-0 series lead on the Oilers. Now they've got the GM who helped eliminate them in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Advertisement 'There were really high expectations,' Beckerman said of this season. 'You come in, and the quality that we showed in the regular season, the wins, the point total and the way we started the playoffs really strong, I think that's one of the things that was attractive to Ken. He looks at this team as a great team. This is a team that is on the brink of making deep runs and a team that can win the championship. He was the obvious head-and-shoulders candidate in terms of his experience, in terms of his commitment.' When Holland agreed with Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson last year that it was time for a separation, Holland started to experience life away from the game. That was a failed mission. The NHL Draft was days later, the first one he missed in 'about 40-something years.' And he did miss it. As he and his wife, Cindi, went through the winter at their home in Kelowna, B.C., Holland watched the main television on at 4 p.m. every night while Cindi watched a movie or read a book in their bedroom. A hockey game was always on until the night's action was done. 'I'm still in hockey,' Holland said, repeating that phrase twice more. 'Cindi was asking me in February or March, 'If the phone rings, what are you going to do?'' he continued. 'And I said, 'I'm not sure. I'm not sure. But I know if an opportunity comes, I'd love to get back in.' You don't know if the phone's going to ring. And Luc called. 'I talked to a few teams here over the last three weeks. I just thought this was a great fit for me, personally and professionally. I missed being under fire.' There will be heat if he doesn't get the Kings any further — or they slide backward. But this is where Holland needs to be. It's where he's always been. (Photo of Ken Holland in Kings' locker room on Thursday: Eric Stephens / The Athletic)
CBS News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
LA Kings welcome Ken Holland as new general manager
The Los Angeles Kings officially introduced former Edmonton Oilers manager Ken Holland as their new general manager on Thursday, replacing Rob Blake. "He knows the path of what it takes to get to the championship, and that's a hard thing to do and that's a hard thing to learn," President Luc Robitaille said at Thursday's introduction. Holland joins the Kings as the fifth-winningest general manager in NHL history. The Hall of Fame hockey executive spent the past year out of the NHL after leaving the Oilers in June 2024. Before that, he was general manager of the Detroit Red Wings for 22 years and won four Stanley Cup championships during his tenure there. Holland replaces Rob Blake, who left the Kings by mutual decision earlier this month after eight seasons. Los Angeles lost to the Oilers in the first round in each of their four straight playoff appearances, from 2022 to 2025. "it was very important to get the right person to guide this franchise to where we want to be, which is not about beating one team, winning one round, it's about winning four rounds," Robitaille said. He said Holland mirrored his vision for the franchise, players, coaching staff, and the entire organization. A 2020 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Holland is a former goaltender who played four NHL games with Detroit and Hartford Whalers. As a highly respected and successful hockey executive, he served in several different roles within the organization prior to being named general manager, including assistant general manager, amateur scouting director, and western conference scout. The Vernon, BC native has served on several management staffs for Hockey Canada, winning gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Winter Games and at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. "The game is very important to me. I did enjoy one stress-free year but I'm excited about being back in the saddle," Holland said. "I've kind of been through this before when I went to Edmonton in 2019. I know what's got to be done. A tweak here, a trade there, a free-agent signing. I was in Detroit for 22 years, in Edmonton for five and now I'm diving back into the pressure cooker."
Associated Press
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Jim Hiller will return as LA Kings' head coach, general manager Ken Holland says during his intro
Jim Hiller will return next season as the Los Angeles Kings' head coach, new general manager Ken Holland says. Holland praised Hiller and looked ahead to their new partnership Thursday during the Hall of Fame hockey executive's introductory news conference at the Kings' training complex. Holland is returning to the NHL after a one-year absence, taking over as the replacement for Rob Blake. The 69-year-old former GM of the Detroit Red Wings and the Edmonton Oilers immediately made it clear he isn't in Los Angeles to blow up a team that has made four straight playoff appearances, only to lose to the Oilers in the first round every spring. Holland won't make an immediate change behind the Kings' bench — or even in the front office, where he plans to retain the assistant GMs and hockey executives who worked for Blake. 'Jim is going to be the coach,' Holland said. 'Jim Hiller did a fabulous job in leading the team to 105 points. They were good defensively. They were good on special teams. The team played hard. I thought three weeks ago that this was a team that had the potential, the ability to go on a long playoff run. He'll be a better coach next year for the experience that he went through this year.' Holland and Hiller spent two hours in discussion Wednesday, the GM said. Hiller, who replaced the fired Todd McLellan in February 2024, was an assistant coach to Mike Babcock in Detroit a decade ago while Holland was the Wings' general manager. The Kings tied the franchise records for victories (48) and points this season under Hiller, only to lose four straight playoff games to Edmonton after going up 2-0. Los Angeles is a consistent playoff team with star power and solid depth, but Holland knows his job is to get the Kings off this franchise plateau. 'I'm hoping to add something to it, maybe a little different idea,' Holland said. 'I'm looking forward to getting going. ... I understand that this is a marketplace that's really competitive. You talk about all the competition for the entertainment dollar, so it's important that you win and you compete. Got to find a way to make the team a little bit different, a little bit better. I think the experiences they've been through here will benefit us down the road.' Blake voluntarily left the team less than two weeks ago, according to president Luc Robitaille. Holland called the Kings 'a legitimate Stanley Cup contender' this season, and he praised Blake for his rebuilding job. The Kings' search quickly zeroed in on Holland, who spent the past year working in the NHL's hockey operations division after he left the Oilers by mutual consent. Robitaille said the Kings are 'very fortunate' to hire Holland. 'He knows the path of what it takes to get to the championship,' Robitaille said. 'That's a hard thing to do, and that's a hard thing to learn. His experience, what he's done over the course of his career, is very important for this franchise to get to that next level.' Holland won one Stanley Cup as an assistant GM in Detroit and three more during his 22 years as the Wings' general manager. In 2019 he moved on to Edmonton, which made the playoffs in all five years of his tenure and even advanced to Game 7 of last year's Stanley Cup Final before falling to Florida. Holland said he wasn't sure whether he would return to a front office after he left Edmonton, but he's ready. He spent the winter watching games every night at home in British Columbia when he wasn't working alongside NHL director of hockey operations Colin Campbell. 'I'm excited to be back in the saddle,' Holland said. 'I've got a lot of energy. I had an opportunity this past winter to get my batteries re-juiced.' Holland called Los Angeles 'one of the great sports cities in all the world,' and he is already getting to know the breadth of the city in a way he never did as a visitor: He spent the past two nights in a hotel in Manhattan Beach, the beautiful seaside enclave where most of the Kings' players and executives live. 'My wife is excited, and my grandkids are really excited,' Holland said. 'Let me tell you, they're looking forward to coming to LA, watching some Kings games and going to Disneyland.' ___ AP NHL:
