LA Kings: “I don’t think I got anything wrong”

LA Kings General Manager Ken Holland met the media on Friday, and in terms of one-liners, he didn’t disappoint. While he played the hits, making references to how close the team was and how many points LA had in the 2024-25 season, Holland also brought some new material that was just as jaw-dropping.

After the 105-point season, Holland was asked about the regression this season, finishing with just 90 points. “I don’t think I got anything wrong,” Holland said. He would go on to note the improvements of teams like Anaheim and San Jose as the bigger reasons for LA’s point regression.

The GM started his availability with a review of the season, which he called a “disappointment”, noting the lack of goals and the poor special teams.

Injury Updates

Holland listed off some of the injury situations that the Kings dealt with toward the end of the season.

• Kevin Fiala: “He’s doing very, very well.” Had the Kings advanced, we could have seen him.
• Andrei Kuzmenko: “He had knee surgery during the Olympic break,” said Holland. The Kings were hoping Kuzmenko would be available later in the regular season, but that wasn’t the case.
• Joel Armia: “He had a back fracture playing in the Olympics,” said Holland. “He played a couple of games, took some pictures, and found he had a hairline fracture, so he missed a bunch of time.”
• Alex Turcotte: “Had a core muscle injury, missed most of the end of the regular season.”
• Quinton Byfield: Referenced what Byfield had said earlier in the week about two different oblique injuries. “Good on QB, he played hurt down the stretch, dug in,” said Holland. “Thought he played his best hockey of the year after the Olympic break.”

Head Coach

• The team is going to begin their search next week for a new head coach, but Holland acknowledged the job that interim head coach DJ Smith did, noting his .609 winning percentage, and confirmed that he would be a candidate under consideration. Holland wouldn’t tip his hand as to what he was looking for in a coach, but he did say he “doesn’t want to talk to 20 people.”
• With regards to Jim Hiller, Holland expressed confidence in retaining him after the 105-point season. Holland was asked what took so long to make the move, and he noted that he didn’t think there was another appropriate time to make a change despite the team “finding ways to lose games,” and that he felt the team was “right there.” (Seriously. He said it.)
• In the end, he doesn’t regret the timing of the coaching change, as he wanted to give Hiller the Olympic Break and the addition of Artemi Panarin a chance to right the ship.
• Whoever the head coach is next season will have the opportunity to retain or bring in new assistant coaches.
• One thing seems certain: the next coach will have to like defense. “Are we too defensive-minded?” Holland questioned before saying, “I’ve got to sort that out.” He followed that up with how important defending is and being able to keep pucks out of your own net.

On The Roster

• “We have lots of good players. We’ve got Kempe, we’ve got Juice, we’ve got Laffy, who’s a real good player. And QB, we’ve got to get Fiala back, and Clarke. But I’ve got to build a better team.”
• Perhaps a subtle hint into where the LA Kings may look to make changes was when Holland was asked about the lack of production on the blue line being personnel-related or system-related. His answer was “a little of both.” We’ll see if anything comes of that.
• He was asked a direct question about Cody Ceci. While he wasn’t going to throw any player under the bus, he did say that there were “some people in that room that didn’t play as well this year as I know they can, or as they have.”
• Holland would add that Cody Ceci was a top two-pair defenseman in recent years, leading up to this one. I genuinely don’t know where he was going with that, but he said that stuff like that is what he has to “sort out.”
• When asked about blowing the roster up and rebuilding, Holland said: “We were three-four-five points off from having the fourth most points (in the Western Conference).” A completely tone-deaf comment considering that would have given them the most points (95) in the worst division in the NHL.
• Holland also mentioned that they are one of only six teams to have made the playoffs five straight years. Evidently, this is an accomplishment despite the fact that the team has not won a single playoff series since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014.
• Alex Laferriere is a winger.
• Holland believed the team had good goaltending and that the duo of Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg was a “good tandem.” I wouldn’t expect any changes there.
• Scott Laughton “loved it here.”
• Jared Wright “brought a dimension that we really needed.” The expectation is that Wright is in LA next season.

On The Future

• “For this summer, I’m committed, as the General Manager, to try to make the team better and try to make the team more competitive.”
• “Don’t expect to replace Anze Kopitar with one person.”
• Will start “working the phones” and calling other teams’ GMs.
• There won’t be any updates on the Unrestricted Free Agents in the short-term. Holland noted there are still pro scout meetings to be had, so those talks aren’t likely to pick up until June.
• “It’s going to be QB’s team up front.” He’s, right now, the team’s top center heading into next season, and Holland expects him to be a key player on LA’s top power play, and it’s “an opportunity for QB to take a step forward.”
• The LA Kings don’t have many trade assets; the first-round pick is one of the few. As of now, Holland’s plan “is to keep the 17th pick in the draft.”

Ken Holland is very good at saying a lot without saying a lot. There were some downright bizarre comments during this press conference, and in the end, Holland knows the team needs to be better next year if they have any hopes of being closer to the “there” that the organization keeps talking about.

Holland talked a few times about needing more offense, but immediately followed that up by talking about the importance of defending. The obsession with defense, to almost not want to offend it by hoping to score more, is just plain weird. I didn’t get the sense that he has any idea of how to balance that, and last offseason doesn’t give me much hope.

There’s no reason any Kings fan should leave that press conference feeling confident that Holland is the man to fix the mess that is the LA Kings, but he is the one who will be tasked to do so.

Main Photo Credit: Alex Hutton, The Sporting Tribune