A self-described "rejuiced" Ken Holland was introduced on May 15th during a press conference held at the Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo. In addition to comments on the beauty of Manhattan Beach and upcoming trips to Disneyland for the grandkids, Holland made one thing quite clear: head coach Jim Hiller will be returning next season.
After drawing the ire from a segment of LA Kings' fans due to his playoff roster management and one particularly ill-timed coach's challenge, it's fair to say that some were expecting a change behind the bench in LA, especially following Rob Blake's departure. New GM Ken Holland, however, applauded Hiller for his work this season, highlighting the achievement of a 105-point regular season and the strong defensive play of the Kings. Holland also backed up Team President Luc Robitaille's main premise that the difference between playoff teams and the eventual Cup winner is very small. According to the Hall of Fame builder, the key is to get into the playoffs every year and to keep taking a crack at it. Prior to the playoffs, Holland said that he considered the Kings to be legitimate contenders, and even more so after they went up 2-0 against his old team, the Edmonton Oilers. For him, it seems that a strong regular season and just four bad games in the playoffs is not enough to justify bringing in a new coach. Time will eventually be the judge of that assessment.
Interestingly enough, Holland used the word "moves" on more than one occasion, suggesting perhaps that he is eager to put his stamp on the team. He also claimed that Anschutz Entertainment Group President, Dan Beckerman, who was in attendance at the press event, made it clear that the ressources were available to bring in a prize free agent should that be the right move to make. Could that mean that Mitch Marner or Brock Boeser will be fitted out in black and silver next year? Marner will be looking for a huge deal and hauling out the Brink's truck for a player who shrinks in the playoffs might be unwise. Kicking the tires on Boeser, on the other hand, could be worth the effort. A right-hand shot who already loves scoring goals at Crypto.com Arena (against the Kings) might be worth a serious look.
Another interpretation of Holland's use of the word "move" could be "I'm going to trade somebody." Over the course of last season, there was a lot of smoke blowing around players like Brandt Clarke, Jordan Spence, and even Quinton Byfield. Is it possible that Holland might look to deal a few young players to build a roster that can go deep into the playoffs? Parting with Byfield would be incredibly risky but if the Kings end up winning it all in June, Holland will look like a genius.
Finally, Holland will have to figure out what to do with UFA defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. It has long been speculated that the Russian blueliner had some type of mystical, unspoken deal in place with former GM Rob Blake, but with "Blakey" now out of the picture, all bets are off. Gavrikov was probably the best defenseman on the Kings all year long and his departure would leave a serious hole on the blue line. That being said, he is probably in line for a raise of about 3 mil a year now and Holland will have to decide how he wants to play that.
Needless to say, there is lot of work for Ken Holland to fit in between those trips to Disneyland.