If you can’t beat them, hire them.
That’s apparently the conclusion the Kings came to in their search for a general manager because they chose Ken Holland, the architect of an Edmonton Oilers team that knocked the Kings out of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the first round in each of the last four seasons.
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Holland, 69, will replace Rob Blake, who stepped down last week. The Kings made the playoffs five times in eight seasons under Blake, a former Hall of Fame defenseman, but lost in the first round each time. The team hasn’t won a playoff series since the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, a record 11-year drought for the franchise.
“As we did our due diligence, we identified Ken as the absolute best option and acted decisively to make him our general manager,” Kings president Luc Robitaille said in a statement Wednesday. “His track record of success is undeniable and after our conversations with him, we were clearly convinced he was the right person for us at this time.
Read more: Luc Robitaille expects Jim Hiller to return as Kings’ coach
“He has the experience to lead us on the proper path that will help us win now and compete for the Stanley Cup.”
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Holland is also a Hall of Famer, having been inducted in 2020 as a builder following three Stanley Cup victories in 22 years as president and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. He also won 10 division titles and four Presidents Trophies in Detroit, where the Red Wings won more regular-season and postseason games than any other team during his tenure.
Holland is the fifth-winingest general manager in NHL history with an all-time record of 1,145-644-272 over 26 seasons with the Red Wings and Oilers. He also served on several management staffs for Hockey Canada, winning gold medals in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
He joined the Oilers as president of hockey operations and general manager in 2019, guiding the team to five consecutive playoff berths, two Western Conference finals and last year’s Stanley Cup final, where it lost to the Florida Panthers in seven games. Among his best moves in Edmonton were the free-agent acquisitions of Zach Hyman, Evander Kane and Corey Perry and the trade that brought Mattias Ekholm in Edmonton at the 2023 deadline.
Holland left the team when his contract expired last June.
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Blake told the Kings last winter he was considering stepping down after this season, giving the team ample time to search for a replacement. According to media reports, Robitaille had narrowed the number of candidates to three last week before meeting with Holland.
Read more: Kings general manager Rob Blake steps down in wake of latest playoff ouster
One of Holland’s first chores as general manager could be deciding the fate of coach Jim Hiller. Hiller’s team tied franchise records for wins (48) and points (105), and set one for home wins (31) in his first full season as head coach. That allowed the Kings to place second in the Pacific Division, its highest finish since 2016, and claim the home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.
Once there Hiller was outcoached, with Edmonton rallying from a 2-0 deficit to win the best-of-seven series in six games.
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Hiller has two more years remaining on his contract, but Robitaille said the new general manager would have the option of bringing in his own coach. Hiller served as an assistant coach for one season in Detroit during Holland’s time with the Red Wings.
Holland was also linked to the New York Islanders’ open general manager job this spring, but the British Columbia native still has a home in the province and wanted to remain on the West Coast.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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