Speaking at his introductory press conference today (video link), Kings GM Ken Holland revealed that head coach Jim Hiller will remain with Los Angeles for next season. Hiller just completed his first full season as head coach of the team with the Kings picking up 105 points in the standings, tying their franchise record set back in 1974-75. However, they weren’t able to shake their recent playoff struggles, falling to the Oilers in the first round for the fourth straight year, leading some to wonder if Holland would opt to go in a different direction. However, that won’t be the case and Holland added that he has no intention of rebuilding or retooling this roster, meaning that Hiller should have largely the same group of core players for 2025-26.
Kings Rumors
D.J. Smith Interviewing For Multiple Head Coach Vacancies
The Kings have given associate coach D.J. Smith permission to pursue head coaching opportunities across the league this offseason, Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period reports. He’s already received multiple interviews.
Smith has been with L.A. for just over 15 months. The Kings hired him in February 2024 after the Senators fired him as their head coach two months prior. He was brought in less than a week after L.A. canned former head coach Todd McLellan and elevated current bench boss Jim Hiller to the interim HC role.
For teams looking for an experienced head coaching hire, Smith fits the bill. He’s one of the younger options available at age 47, but he spent over four full seasons in control of the Ottawa bench and, before that, spent four years with the Maple Leafs as an assistant. In 317 games coaching the rebuilding Sens, Smith compiled a 131-154-32 (.464) record. He’s still looking for his first playoff berth.
But by the end of his tenure in Ottawa, Smith had coached the Sens into being an above-average defensive squad. Goaltending and poor finishing luck were the Sens’ downfalls in 2022-23, his last full season behind the bench, but they were a playoff-caliber team by most other metrics. Ottawa ranked eighth in power play percentage and 14th in penalty kill percentage while posting good 5-on-5 scoring chance suppression numbers.
Briefly a depth defenseman in the NHL with the Leafs and Avalanche, Smith also spent three years as a head coach in the junior ranks with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals, winning Coach of the Year and a league championship in that span.
Fiala To Play For Switzerland At Worlds
Kings winger Kevin Fiala’s season hasn’t come to an end just yet. After originally being unable to play at the Worlds due to some travel issues, the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation announced that Fiala will indeed be able to join the squad, filling their final spot. The 28-year-old was the tournament MVP last year, notching seven goals and six assists in just eight games. This season, Fiala had a career-high 35 goals in 81 games for Los Angeles while recording seven points in six games in their first-round exit at the hands of Edmonton.
Pat Brisson Not Interested In Kings' GM Job
As the Kings continue their search for their new general manager, it appears they kicked the tires on assessing veteran agent Pat Brisson’s interest in the position. However, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that Brisson is not expected to be interviewed for the role as he doesn’t have any interest in leaving his agent role with CAA. Brisson was believed to be contacted regarding Montreal’s opening a few years ago but wasn’t interested in leaving then either. He has 94 active NHL contracts, per PuckPedia, carrying a combined cap hit this season of more than $266MM so it’s not surprising that he wants to remain an agent.
The Kings Have Work To Do To Take The Next Step
For the fourth consecutive season, the Los Angeles Kings were bounced from the opening round of the playoffs by the Edmonton Oilers. This year felt like the Kings’ best chance to turn their fortunes finally, and it certainly seemed likely after the Kings took a 2-0 series lead. But they would go on to lose four straight games, and in the end, the result was all too familiar. The Kings will have a lot to evaluate this summer, from management to coaching to the players donning the jerseys; everything will be on the table for a team that hasn’t advanced past the first round of the playoffs since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014.
The Kings were far from a perfectly built team but had a strong season, finishing as the second seed in the Pacific Division with a 48-25-9 record. The team struggled to hold leads, which ultimately proved to be their downfall, particularly the blown opportunities in Games 3 and 4 of the Oilers series. The primary reason for these blown leads was a lack of depth, as the Kings were forced to rely on their top nine forwards and top four defensemen almost exclusively, and the bottom of their lineup lacked effectiveness. This obvious issue falls on management, which couldn’t address a clear concern at the bottom of the lineup.
Speaking of management, the future of the Kings’ general manager, Rob Blake, was very much in question, but many Kings pundits believed that Blake and head coach Jim Hiller would stick around for next season. Yet, Blake and the Kings mutually agreed to part ways this week, marking the end of a run as GM that had both hits and misses. Blake took over from former GM Dean Lombardi a day after the 2016-17 season ended, previously serving as an assistant GM. He did not win a playoff series during his eight-year tenure and had no contract for the upcoming season. He was supposed to build the Kings into a team that could challenge for the Stanley Cup, but some questionable decisions left the Kings as more of a pretender than a contender.
Blake undoubtedly made some terrific trades, notably the Jake Muzzin trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, which netted Los Angeles Sean Durzi, Carl Grundstrom, and a first-round pick. Another notable piece of work by Blake was the trade with Toronto for Jack Campbell, which included Trevor Moore and two third-round picks. There have been other solid moves, but the trade and extension for Pierre-Luc Dubois and some other poor salary cap management have overshadowed them.
Behind the bench, Kings fans will likely hope that the team moves on from Hiller, whose system has made the Kings look like a team playing not to lose rather than a club playing to win. Los Angeles would do well to hire a coach who can operate a creative offense that prioritizes high-pressure forechecking, such as Mike Sullivan. Unfortunately for the Kings, he has already been plucked out of free agency by the New York Rangers. Other options are available, but Los Angeles should move quickly if they plan to hire a new bench boss.
On the ice, the Kings will have some salary cap space available this summer, with roughly $23.27MM and just four players to sign. UFA defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov is one of those players who will eat close to a quarter of the space if he re-signs. Forward Alex Laferriere will also need a new deal, but shouldn’t break the bank. Should that happen, the Kings would have approximately $15MM available and just a couple of players to sign.
So, what should they do with the cap space? Upgrading their fourth-line and bottom defensive pairing is a must. The Kings bled chances with their fourth line on the ice this season, and it was a revolving door that was not addressed, ultimately costing them when the games mattered most. Fixing that issue is paramount; the fix isn’t necessarily complicated or expensive. The Kings need more forwards who can contribute offensively, which could push some of their third-liners down the lineup, thus creating a better overall forward group.
In the playoffs, the Kings’ fourth line mainly consisted of Alex Turcotte, Jeff Malott, Trevor Lewis, and Samuel Helenius. Of those players, only Turcotte averaged more than five minutes of ice time per game, highlighting an apparent roster construction flaw that put too much pressure on the top nine and ultimately wore the forwards down as the games continued.
On the back end, Brandt Clarke, Jordan Spence and Jacob Moverare played most of the Kings’ bottom pairing minutes, with just Clarke breaking the 10-minute per-game mark by averaging 12:47 of ice time per game. Clarke is part of the Kings’ solution on the bottom pairing and should improve from the experience, but finding a solid defensive partner for him would go a long way to buttoning up the defensive issues that plagued Los Angeles in the playoffs.
The Kings will likely run back the bulk of their core next season while trying to infuse a few younger players into the lineup and elevate them. It won’t be music to the ears of fans who are calling for radical changes. Still, given the salary cap corner the Kings are painted into with some of their long-term deals, it would be difficult to imagine a complete overhaul, especially when the team has been preaching about being “right there” for several years. The Blake move is a start for Los Angeles, and it will be interesting to see what other moves they make as they try to take the next step.
Photo by Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Kings Want To Extend Vladislav Gavrikov, Andrei Kuzmenko
Yesterday, the Los Angeles Kings mutually parted ways with their former General Manager, Rob Blake. Despite this change, the team is reportedly looking to secure contract extensions for defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and forward Andrei Kuzmenko, who are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer (Tweet Link).
Gavrikov has emerged as a top-four option in the Kings’ defense, especially during the Kings’ period without Drew Doughty during the 2024-25 season. In early January, the Kings’ defensive leader in +/- and blocked shots expressed his desire for a long-term contract, saying, “When I got to L.A., I needed time to decide if my family and I wanted to stay. That’s why we agreed on a short-term contract with the Kings. Now we know what we want, and we can sign a long-term deal here.” The most recent comparable for Gavrikov is the six-year, $33.3MM contract extension defenseman Kaiden Guhle signed with the Montreal Canadiens last July.
Meanwhile, Kuzmenko was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in March 2025, with the Flyers retaining 50% of his salary. Known for his net-front presence and power-play contributions, he performed positively in Los Angeles, scoring five goals and 17 points in 22 games. Due to his inconsistent play over the past year, it is challenging to estimate Kuzmenko’s asking price for his next contract.
Other Pacific Division notes:
- According to John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor, the Los Angeles Kings have not yet initiated extension negotiations with forward Tanner Jeannot. Despite facing injury concerns, Jeannot had a better season than the previous year, scoring six goals and recording 13 points in 67 games, along with 211 hits. If he requests a salary close to his current $2.665 million or lower, there should be mutual interest between him and Los Angeles for an extension in a fourth-line role.
- Pavel Dorofeyev will not be in the lineup for the Vegas Golden Knights tonight due to an injury sustained in Game 5 of their opening-round matchup against the Minnesota Wild, causing him to miss the remainder of that game and Game 6 (Tweet Link). His status is considered day-to-day as the team monitors his recovery. Despite losing their fourth-highest-scoring forward from the regular season, the Golden Knights still possess ample depth on the wing.
Kings Notes: Jeannot, Kopitar, Lewis, Bergevin
The Los Angeles Kings held exit interviews on Monday, providing a chance for many players to share their final thoughts on this year and first impressions of next season. For forward Tanner Jeannot, it was a chance to share more about the injury that held him out of the final 19 games of the season. Jeannot told with Kings insider Zach Dooley, that he sustained a groin injury and was doing all he could to make a return during the first round. It appeared to be a non-contact injury suffered when he went down to block a shot in the Kings’ March 25th win over the New York Rangers.
Jeannot is one of four Kings forwards set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer. He’ll be coming off a two-year, $5.33MM contract originally signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Los Angeles reeled him in last summer for a second-round and fourth-round draft pick. Jeannot delivered 13 points, 89 penalty minutes, and 11 minutes of average ice time through 67 games. That’s likely not strong enough to earn a raise over his $2.67MM cap hit this season. But L.A. seemed to miss his physical presence – and team-leading 211 hits in the regular season – in their first-round loss to the Edmonton Oilers. That could make him a candidate for a low-cost deal as the Kings look to build a team that can run deep into the playoffs.
Other notes out of Los Angeles:
- Kings captain Anze Kopitar affirmed his desire to play out the final year of his contract next season, per John Hoven of Mayors Manor. It will be Kopitar’s age-38 season. He still looked in prime form this year, netting 21 goals and 67 points. It was his third consecutive season of netting at least 20 goals and 65 points – though he did cross the 70-point mark in the other two. With confirmation of one more season, Kopitar will be on pace to play his 1,500th career game with the Los Angeles Kings – which will make him only the ninth player to play so long with one club, assuming Alex Ovechkin also reaches 1,500 with the Washington Capitals. Kopitar managed nine points and 21:30 in average ice time over the Kings’ six playoff games – and will now return as the Kings’ steady leader next year.
- Trevor Lewis also expressed his desire to continue his career for another year, per Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period. Lewis will have to find that year on the open market, after the conclusion of a one-year, $800K extension with the Kings. He recorded 12 points in 60 games while operating from a fourth-line role. It was a quiet season that could be hard to market in free agency, though Lewis would become just the sixth King to appear in 15 or more seasons with the club with one more year. It will likely only cost Los Angeles a league-minimum contract to honor that milestone, if they choose to do so.
- Bernstein also shared that he believes Marc Bergevin could be in the race for the Kings vacant general manager role. Los Angeles hired Bergevin as a special advisor soon after the Montreal Canadiens fired him from his general manager role in 2021. Bergevin served 10 years managing the Canadiens before then. He led the team to six playoff appearances and one Stanley Cup Final loss in 2022. Bergevin wasn’t a stranger to controversy over his time in Montreal, whether it be for his management decisions or personality clashes. But with four years of adjusting to the Kings’ innerworkings, and a decade of experience, his resume for the role could be pretty strong against what Los Angeles could find on the open market.
Kings, Rob Blake Mutually Part Ways
The Kings are mutually parting ways with general manager Rob Blake, sources tell Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (X link). Los Angeles quickly confirmed the news.
For now, team president Luc Robitaille is staying on. He’ll lead a search for Blake’s successor beginning immediately, the Kings said. They haven’t named an interim GM, but it’s likely Robitaille or director of hockey operations Jake Goldberg will handle day-to-day duties for now. L.A. didn’t have any assistant GMs on Blake’s staff.
Blake’s contract was up after signing a three-year extension in May 2022. That extension came after the Kings ended a three-year playoff drought and pushed the Oilers to seven games in a first-round loss. Fast forward to 2025, and L.A. has now lost four consecutive playoff series – all to Edmonton, all in the first round. This year, they had a 2-0 lead in the series and held home-ice advantage for the first time, but dropped four straight games en route to another early exit.
A Hall-of-Fame defenseman who spent the majority of his playing career in Los Angeles, Blake took a few years off after retiring in 2010 before resurfacing as an assistant GM with the Kings for the 2013-14 season. He’s remained in L.A.’s front office ever since and was promoted to GM in the 2017 offseason following the end of Dean Lombardi’s 11-year tenure in the role.
Blake compiled a 309-238-71 (.557) regular season record in his eight seasons as the Kings’ top decision-maker, 19th in the league during that stretch. In the postseason, the Kings are just 8-20 for a .286 win percentage. Among teams who have made the playoffs since 2018, only the Ducks (0-4) have won a lesser share of their games.
“On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Rob for his dedication to the LA Kings and the passion he brought to his role,” Robitaille said. “Reaching this understanding wasn’t easy and I appreciate Rob’s partnership in always working toward what is best for the Kings. Rob deserves a great deal of credit and respect for elevating us to where we are today. He has been an important part of the Kings and will always be appreciated for what he has meant to this franchise.”
While there wasn’t much advance reporting that Blake’s job was in peril if the Kings failed to advance past the first round again, the change is far from out of the blue. L.A.’s rebuild is far in the rearview now, and the club has exhausted nearly all of the high-end prospects Blake accumulated during his tenure. After peaking as one of the league’s deepest pools a few years ago, the Kings dropped to No. 26 in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s prospect pool rankings earlier this year.
Blake leaves his successor with a favorable salary cap structure. The Kings have over $23MM to spend this summer with just four roster spots to fill, per PuckPedia. Their only notable pending restricted free agent is winger Alex Laferriere. They’ll have plenty of room to accomplish that, work toward extending pending UFA defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, and add some scoring depth via trades or free agent signings.
Image courtesy of Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.
Jack Eichel, Anže Kopitar, Brayden Point Named Lady Byng Trophy Finalists
Now that award season is approaching, the NHL has announced the three finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy: Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights, Anže Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings, and Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
As one of the more underappreciated honors, the Lady Byng Trophy is awarded to the player voted best to combine sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct, and ability as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Kopitar is the only one of the trio to have won the award previously.
In arguably the best season of his career from an individual perspective, Eichel led the Pacific Division champion Golden Knights in scoring with 28 goals and 94 points in 77 games. Not only did Eichel have a career year himself, but he also set a new standard for Vegas players by besting William Karlsson’s 78-point 2017-18 season, which stood as the franchise’s single-season record until now. This was largely due to his availability, missing only five games all season and only accruing eight PIMs.
As mentioned earlier, Kopitar is the only member of the trio who has previously won the Lady Byng Trophy, receiving the award in the 2015-16 and 2022-23 seasons. He outperformed his Pacific Division rival, Eichel, by only taking two minor penalties compared to Eichel’s four. Surpassing Dustin Brown as the longest-serving captain in Kings history this season, Kopitar helped Los Angeles reach the postseason for the fourth consecutive year.
Point became a finalist for the second time in three years, and for good reason. Point bested a point-per-game average for a third consecutive season and centered one of the most efficient top lines in the game. Beating Kopitar and Eichel, Point only had one minor penalty this year (and finished with seven PIMs).
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.
Los Angeles Kings Recall Six Black Aces
As they look to stave off elimination in Game 6, the Los Angeles Kings announced several recalls. According to the announcement, forwards Andre Lee, Francesco Pinelli, Jack Studnicka, Taylor Ward, defenseman Caleb Jones, and netminder Pheonix Copley have been recalled as black aces.
Pinelli is the only player of the group who hasn’t debuted in the NHL yet. Although he has mild NHL experience, Studnicka did not play with the Kings during the regular season.
The remaining four all enjoyed limited playing time with Los Angeles this year. Lee appeared in the most contests, scoring one goal and two assists in 19 games while averaging 9:10 of ice time per game.
Los Angeles likely recalled players solely based on their past NHL experience. They did not promote any of the Reign’s top four point scorers (although Jeff Malott is already on the team) or the top five players with the best +/- ratings.
Still, it’s unlikely any of the six call-ups will play in Game 6 for the Kings. Entering their first elimination game of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, Tanner Jeannot remains the only injured member on the roster. Without any meaningful injury updates after Game 5, it’s unlikely any of today’s recalls will suit up for the Kings.