Ken Holland, who gained 4 Stanley Cups as an government with the Detroit Crimson Wings, is anticipated to grow to be the following basic supervisor of the Los Angeles Kings, a number of NHL sources confirmed to ESPN on Monday.
Inducted into the Hockey Corridor of Fame as a builder in 2020, Holland replaces Rob Blake, the Kings’ basic supervisor and vp of hockey operations whose contract was not renewed after a fourth straight first-round playoff exit.
An announcement is anticipated later this week. Rod Pedersen, host of “The Rod Pedersen Present,” was first with the information.
Holland, 69, was the chief vp and basic supervisor of the Crimson Wings from 1997 by way of 2019, profitable 4 Stanley Cups for the franchise. He was bumped upstairs in 2019 to senior vp, clearing the way in which for Steve Yzerman to grow to be the group’s basic supervisor.
That promotion lasted solely a month, as Holland left to take over the Edmonton Oilers as basic supervisor and president of hockey operations. Powered by stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the group made the convention finals in 2022 and 2024, dropping in Sport 7 of the Stanley Cup Last final postseason with a roster Holland constructed. Amongst his key acquisitions had been ahead Zach Hyman (free agent) and defensemen Mattias Ekholm (by way of commerce with Nashville) and Philip Broberg (drafted eighth in 2019). The Oilers made the playoffs in all 5 seasons of Holland’s tenure.
Holland’s five-year contract with the Oilers expired on July 1, 2024. Edmonton ultimately employed former Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman to switch him. Since then, Holland had been working as a marketing consultant to the NHL’s hockey operations division.
Sources instructed ESPN that Holland had been contemplating a entrance workplace function with the New York Islanders, both as group president, basic supervisor or each. Former Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin, a senior adviser for the Kings who many believed may be their subsequent basic supervisor, is within the combine for the Islanders’ openings.
Holland will take over a Kings roster that options holdovers from their Stanley Cup wins in 2012 and 2014 (Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty), scorers of their prime (Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala), younger gamers on the rise (Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke) and goalie Darcy Kuemper, who was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy this season.
However Los Angeles has did not advance previous the primary spherical of the playoffs since 2014. The Kings had misplaced 4 straight first-round collection to the Edmonton Oilers — conveniently, Holland’s former group — together with their six-game defeat this postseason.
Holland will now decide the destiny of Jim Hiller, who completed his first season as Kings head coach after serving on an interim foundation in 2023-24. Hiller was an assistant coach with the Crimson Wings for one season (2014-15) throughout Holland’s time in Detroit.
