Kings “Likely” To Remove Interim Tag From Jim Hiller
Kings interim head coach Jim Hiller is the “overwhelming favorite” to fill their vacancy behind the bench, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Monday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast (audio link).
The Kings went 21-12-1 (.632) with Hiller at the helm after the All-Star break but were dispatched quickly by the Oilers in five games in the first round. Hiller took over on an interim basis for Todd McLellan, who L.A. fired after four and a half seasons amid a 4-8-6 post-Christmas stretch.
It would be the 55-year-old’s first shot as a full-time NHL head coach. The former Kings, Rangers and Red Wings right wing had a short-lived NHL career as a player in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons, accumulating eight goals and 20 points in 63 games across the three franchises.
Hiller suited up in the minor leagues and overseas until retiring in 2002, entering the major junior ranks as an assistant coach with the Western Hockey League’s Tri-City Americans the following season. He became their head coach in 2006 after a brief detour with the British Columbia Hockey League’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs, a role he held before departing for an NHL assistant job with the Red Wings in 2014.
He spent one season in Detroit and the next seven years in assistant roles for the Maple Leafs and Islanders before joining L.A. ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. After 10 years of service as an assistant, he’ll likely land his first head coaching gig in the majors.
The Kings controlled possession above average under Hiller, logging 51.8% of shot attempts at even strength. It was considerably lower than the 56.0 CF% they had to start the season under McLellan, though. In fact, a 51.8 CF% over a full season would be the Kings’ worst since the 2020-21 campaign, when they missed the playoffs with a 21-28-7 record in the COVID-shortened season.
Los Angeles moving to retain Hiller would leave the Devils, Sharks, Kraken and Jets as the four remaining vacancies league-wide.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Kings Mutually Part Ways With Assistant Coach Trent Yawney
The Los Angeles Kings have announced they’ve mutually parted ways with assistant coach Trent Yawney, adding that a replacement will be sought after the team hires their next head coach (Twitter link). The news brings an end to Yawney’s five-year tenure in Los Angeles.
Yawney has a storied career in the NHL, beginning with his third-round selection in the 1984 NHL Draft. He’d go on to play 12 seasons in the league – spending half with the Chicago Blackhawks – and total 129 points and 783 penalty minutes in 593 career games. He even served as Team Canada’s captain during the 1988 Winter Olympics. Yawney retired during the 1998-99 season, only to return to the Blackhawks as an assistant coach in the 1999-00 season. He’s been closely tied to the NHL ever since, serving as either an AHL head coach or an NHL assistant coach in each of the last 25 seasons. He even earned a brief stint as the Blackhawks head coach in 2005-06, though he was replaced by Denis Savard midway through the following season.
This move is a backward step for the Kings, who face a head coach vacancy after parting ways with Todd McLellan in February. He was replaced by Jim Hiller, who remains a top candidate for the permanent role. Hiller led the Kings to an impressive 21-12-1 record, even earning a playoff appearance. The Edmonton Oilers eliminated the Kings in just five games, though their success showed their playoff potential. And while it’s hard to replace the near-40 years of experience Yawney has in the league, the space for one more hire offers enticing flexibility as the Kings look to maintain a staff capable of a postseason push.
NHL-Affiliated Prospects Playing In 2024 Memorial Cup
The field for the 2024 Memorial Cup, the top club tournament in junior hockey, is set. The QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs, the OHL’s London Knights and the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors all swept their respective league championship series within the last two days to advance to the CHL championship tournament, joining the host Saginaw Spirit of the OHL.
This year marks the first Memorial Cup held in the United States since 1998, which was hosted by the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. The Spirit will attempt to become the first U.S.-based team to win since the Chiefs in 2008, and they have a strong chance. They’re stronger than a typical host team, finishing second in the league in the regular season with a 50-16-2 record and trailing London by just two points. They were eliminated by London in six games in the Western Conference Final.
The Knights lead the way with 10 NHL-affiliated prospects on their roster, including two first-round picks in Flyers defenseman Oliver Bonk and Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan. The latter was named the OHL playoffs MVP after leading the Knights in scoring with 10 goals, 24 assists and 34 points in just 18 games. He had 15 points in four games in their championship sweep over the Oshawa Generals.
If you’re looking for some non-Stanley Cup Playoff hockey to watch, check to see if your favorite NHL team has prospects suiting up in the tournament, which begins May 24:
Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL champion)
D Mikaël Diotte (Devils, free agent signing)
RW Ethan Gauthier (Lightning, 2023, 37th overall)
RW Alexis Gendron (Flyers, 2022, 220th overall)
D Vsevolod Komarov (Sabres, 2022, 134th overall)
NHL Utah 2022 first-round pick D Maveric Lamoureux is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in March.
London Knights (OHL champion)
C Denver Barkey (Flyers, 2023, 95th overall)
D Oliver Bonk (Flyers, 2023, 22nd overall)
C Easton Cowan (Maple Leafs, 2023, 28th overall)
D Jackson Edward (Bruins, 2022, 200th overall)
D Isaiah George (Islanders, 2022, 98th overall)
RW Kasper Halttunen (Sharks, 2023, 36th overall)
C Jacob Julien (Jets, 2023, 146th overall)
C Kaleb Lawrence (Kings, 2022, 215th overall)
C Max McCue (Blue Jackets, free agent signing)
C Landon Sim (Blues, 2022, 184th overall)
Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL champion)
RW Jagger Firkus (Kraken, 2022, 35th overall)
D Denton Mateychuk (Blue Jackets, 2022, 12th overall)
D Kalem Parker (Wild, 2023, 181st overall)
D Vojtech Port (Ducks, 2023, 161st overall)
LW Martin Rysavy (Blue Jackets, 2021, 197th overall)
C Matthew Savoie (Sabres, 2022, 9th overall)
C Brayden Yager (Penguins, 2023, 14th overall)
Saginaw Spirit (host)
C Owen Beck (Canadiens, 2022, 33rd overall)
LW Josh Bloom (Canucks, acquired from Sabres in 2023 trade for Riley Stillman)
D Rodwin Dionicio (Ducks, 2023, 129th overall)
D Jorian Donovan (Senators, 2022, 136th overall)
C Hunter Haight (Wild, 2022, 47th overall)
C Ethan Hay (Lightning, 2023, 211th overall)
G Nolan Lalonde (Blue Jackets, free agent signing)
C Matyas Sapovaliv (Golden Knights, 2022, 48th overall)
C Joseph Willis (Predators, 2023, 111th overall)
Los Angeles Kings Extend David Rittich
With three of their goaltenders on the active roster headed for unrestricted free agency this summer, the Los Angeles Kings have decided to preliminary take one off the market. The organization announced a one-year, $1MM contract extension for backup goaltender David Rittich.
After a quality season serving as the backup to Connor Hellebuyck with the Winnipeg Jets organization in 2022-23, the Kings quickly signed Rittich to a one-year, $875K contract on the first day of free agency last summer. Originally positioned as Los Angeles’ third-string goaltender at the beginning of the 2023-24 NHL season, Rittich would get the opportunity to serve as the Kings’ primary backup option after Pheonix Copley lost his season to a torn ACL in early December.
Putting together one of the best individual seasons of his career, Rittich appeared in 24 games for Los Angeles down the stretch, securing a 16-6-3 record while posting a .921 save percentage and 2.15 GAA. Although the starting role for the Kings is up in the air headed into the offseason, Rittich should already be penciled in as the team’s backup to start the 2024-25 NHL season.
With Rittich now off the board, the already lackluster talent available at the goaltending position in free agency has continued to thin out. Not in any order, the top available unrestricted free agents in the crease has been whittled down to Anthony Stolarz, Cam Talbot, Kevin Lankinen, Alex Nedeljkovic, Ilya Samsonov, and Laurent Brossoit.
No Extension Talks Between Los Angeles Kings, Matt Roy
After defeating the New York Rangers in the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals, the Los Angeles Kings have had to re-establish their footing in the Western Conference, setting forth on a multi-year re-tool while still holding on to veterans Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. However, since the Kings’ Cup victory in 2014, even after the recent retooling of the roster, they have failed to make it beyond the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Already going through a coaching change during the regular season, Los Angeles has some major decisions to make during the upcoming offseason, decisions that will influence the future success of the organization. One of those decisions will come on the blue line, as the Kings debate whether or not to retain the services of Matt Roy.
With their season coming to an end two weeks ago, there have reportedly been no extension talks between Los Angeles and Roy’s camp. However, Dennis Bernstein of TheFourthPeriod reports that the Kings organization is expecting extension talks to progress closer to June, a short time before Roy would have the opportunity to discuss a potential contract with the 31 other teams across the league.
Heading into the offseason, Los Angeles will have approximately $23.25MM of cap space to work with, but will notably need to address the contractual futures of up-and-coming talents Quinton Byfield and Jordan Spence with both become restricted free agents this summer. Beyond those two, the Kings are highly expected to make a splash in the goaltending market, which will take its chunk out of the available cap space.
Earning only $3.15MM a year on his current contract, Roy’s play over the last three years may have priced him out of Los Angeles’ lineup next season. Since the start of the 2021-22 NHL season, Roy has suited up in 230 regular season games for the Kings, scoring 16 goals and 72 points in total while averaging over 130 hits and 150 blocks a year in the process.
Kings Believed To Have Shown Interest In Craig Berube, Undecided On Jim Hiller's Future
- While the Kings haven’t decided on if they’ll remove the interim tag from Jim Hiller who took over as head coach midseason, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports in his latest Toronto Star column that Los Angeles is kicking the tires on Craig Berube. Berube has also been speculatively linked to the openings in New Jersey and Toronto and appears to be well-positioned to return behind an NHL bench in the coming weeks. The 55-year-old has been an NHL bench boss for parts of eight seasons with his teams playing to a .584 points percentage.
Coaching Notes: Devils, Blues, Kings
The New Jersey Devils plan to solidify a new head coach within the next 7-to-10 days, per The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (Twitter link). New Jersey just lost interim head coach Travis Green to a four-year contract with the Ottawa Senators, leaving their commanding spot vacant for the first time since firing Lindy Ruff in March. Green led the Devils to a 38-39-5 record, in his two months behind the helm, performing well enough to earn his first full-time head coaching role since leaving the Vancouver Canucks in the 2021-22 season. Ruff has also found a new home, returning to the Buffalo Sabres, where he’s already spent 10 years as a player and 16 years as a coach.
The coaching carousel has circled around the Devils and it’s now their chance to name a new boss. Jay Woodcroft and Craig Berube are seemingly leading the way, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on The Jeff Marek Show. Friedman added that many around the league view New Jersey as the job with the highest ceiling. That’s certainly no surprise, as their next head coach will assume a roster with stars Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and Dougie Hamilton. And New Jersey is only getting better, with rookie defenders Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec earning full-time roles last season and the Devils recently signing top defense prospect Seamus Casey. New Jersey had a shockingly poor season, missing the playoffs by 10 points after bearing with injuries, a lack of chemistry, and poor goaltending all year. There is star power throughout their lineup, but with very little cap space this summer the Devils will need to hope that a new head coach will be enough to bring out their full potential.
Other notes from the coaching circuit:
- The St. Louis Blues will be retaining the entire staff behind head coach Drew Bannister, shares The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (Twitter link). The Blues removed Bannister’s interim title earlier today, with Rutherford adding that the hiring process also featured interviews with the team’s advisors Peter Chiarelli, Alexander Steen, and Scott Mellanby. Bannister made it through each stage, and will now return to a team that he led to a 30-19-5 record last season. Bannister brought the best out of some of St. Louis’ youngest players, and manned a red-hot goaltending duo of Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer. While Bannister’s staff won’t lose any faces, the Blues haven’t ruled out the possibility of adding more coaching supports, as they look to get back into the playoffs for the first time since 2022.
- The Los Angeles Kings are taking their time with their own coaching search, and plan to interview interim head coach Jim Hiller next week, shares LeBrun (Twitter link). LeBrun adds that the Kings liked what they saw out of Hiller but aren’t committed to him just yet. Hiller led the Kings to a 21-12-1 record after taking over for Todd McLellan on February 10th. It was the first head coaching opportunity of Hiller’s career, after 10 years of serving as an assistant coach across the NHL. He previously spent eight years as a head coach in the WHL, making the playoffs seven times.
Kings Notes: Blake, Dubois, Hiller
Rob Blake will reportedly remain as the general manager of the Los Angeles Kings (according to Mayors Manor). Blake has been the Kings general manager since April 2017 and has steered the club through a lengthy rebuild that has resulted in three straight playoff appearances.
While making the postseason out of rebuild is a good first step for a team, the Kings have lost in the first round to the Edmonton Oilers in all three playoff showings and have yet to take the next step to get into the upper echelon of Western Conference contenders. While Blake has built a talented core around older veterans Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar, the team has seen their point total drop from 104 points a year ago to just 99 points this season.
Blake has several big decisions to make this summer, including what to do with failed trade acquisition Pierre-Luc Dubois who had a disastrous first season in Los Angeles. Blake told the media today that the team will not buyout Dubois, putting to rest a rumor that has been talked about widely in the media.
In other Los Angeles Kings notes:
- Speaking of Dubois, the 25-year-old will reportedly suit up for Team Canada at the World Championships (according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman). The Ste-Agathe-Des-Monts, Quebec native flopped in his first season with the Kings after being acquired from the Winnipeg Jets last summer and promptly signed an 8-year, $68-million contract. Dubois posted just 16 goals and 24 assists in 82 regular season games and then tallied a single goal in five playoff games as he struggled with discipline and posted 20 PIMs. Dubois blamed himself for his poor play this season and said he will do whatever it takes to have a better season in 2024-25. The World’s will give Dubois a chance to end his season on a strong note as he looks to improve over the summer and get back to the 60-point pace he displayed in the two seasons before the trade to Los Angeles.
- The Kings are also reportedly discussing what they will do with the head coaching position for next season and a decision is expected in the next few weeks (via Mayors Manor). Jim Hiller took over as interim head coach on February 2nd and led the Kings to playoffs once again, however, his 1-3-1 system was scrutinized heavily by people surrounding the team and moving away from that type of system is being discussed by the management group. Hiller served as a Kings assistant coach for two seasons before taking over behind the bench and finished the year with a 21-12-1 record.
Kings Reassign Aaron Dell
The Kings are trimming their roster after being eliminated in the first round in five games by the Oilers, returning depth goalie Aaron Dell to AHL Ontario today.
Dell, 34, didn’t suit up for the Kings this season after they signed him to a one-year, two-way contract on March 4. The veteran of seven NHL seasons and 130 games last played in the NHL with the Sharks in February 2023.
The Alberta native reached unrestricted free agency last summer after not being re-signed by San Jose but didn’t sign any NHL offers. He participated in training camp on a PTO with the Blue Jackets but failed to make the team and was released from his tryout without signing an NHL or AHL agreement. Dell later landed on a PTO with the Hurricanes later in the season as they were dealing with the beginning of the long-term absence of starter Frederik Andersen, but didn’t get a contract out of that stint, either.
Dell’s first non-exhibition action of the 2023-24 season came on the international stage, suiting up for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in late December. There, he posted a .906 SV% and a 2-2-0 record in four games. Upon returning, he landed an AHL contract with Ontario, which later turned into an NHL agreement with the Kings so they could add him to the roster as needed for injury insurance. In 12 games with Ontario this season, the veteran showed he still had what it takes to play at the professional level with a strong .914 SV% and 2.57 GAA in 12 appearances, compiling one shutout and a 7-4-1 record.
Dell will again become a UFA this summer and look to land another NHL contract. He is likely to serve as a club’s third or fourth-string netminder. He hasn’t been a full-time NHL option since starting 30 games and making three relief appearances for the Sharks in 2019-20.
11 Teams Face Cap Overage Penalties Next Season
With the salary cap largely being flat the last few years, more teams have had to dip into LTIR when injuries have come up. Accordingly, the number of teams facing bonus overage penalties has also risen. This year is no exception as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports in collaboration with CapFriendly that 11 teams are currently facing cap overage penalties for 2024-25 as a result of bonuses achieved this season.
When a team finishes up the season using LTIR to stay cap-compliant, they don’t have any regular cap space to which bonuses can be applied against. Accordingly, that results in LTIR teams that have incentives that are met finishing over the cap, yielding overage penalties. Whatever amount they finished 2023-24 over by is then deducted off the Upper Limit for next season.
The teams that are confirmed to have bonus overage penalties are as follows:
Edmonton Oilers: $3.45MM*
Dallas Stars: $2,595,407
Washington Capitals: $2.2525MM
Los Angeles Kings: $1.85MM
New Jersey Devils: $1,538,897
Montreal Canadiens: $1.0225MM
Ottawa Senators: $850K
New York Rangers: $512.5K*
Minnesota Wild: $425K*
Philadelphia Flyers: $245K
Boston Bruins $50K*
Teams denoted with an asterisk could see their bonus overage increase if the following happens:
Edmonton: Corey Perry’s contract calls for $50K if the Oilers make the Western Conference Final and another $50K if they reach the Stanley Cup Final.
New York: Theirs would increase by $25K if they win the Stanley Cup, a bonus in Jonathan Quick’s deal.
Minnesota: Marco Rossi can make $212.5K if he makes the All-Rookie Team which would then be added to the Wild’s carryover penalty.
Boston: Milan Lucic will receive $200K if the Bruins win the Stanley Cup as part of his contract.
In addition to the above, Carolina and Florida also have the potential for an overage contingent on the playoffs. The Hurricanes would have a $50.45K penalty if Jackson Blake plays in 20 games between the regular season and playoffs. Meanwhile, the Panthers would take a $500K hit if they win the Stanley Cup to cover that bonus in Kyle Okposo’s contract.
Team-by-team details with specifics on how each one got to the point of an overage were covered separately by PuckPedia.
It’s the first time that multiple teams will carry overage penalties of more than $2MM into the following season. With the cap expected to go up by closer to $4MM this summer, that could in theory take some pressure off from the bonus overage perspective but only if teams leave themselves a bit more wiggle room to work with. There’s a good chance that won’t happen so we’re quite likely to see these penalties again next season though with perhaps fewer teams getting the hit next time around.