The Kings Coaching Situation Continues To Get Interesting

The Vegas Golden Knights continue to be an anomaly of an NHL franchise. Last week, they fired Head Coach Bruce Cassidy after four years as bench boss. They added to the already massive headline by hiring John Totorella for the remainder of the season.

After their Pacific division rival made a big change, a potential new candidate has emerged for the Los Angeles Kings head coaching job next season.

As time goes on, it seems increasingly more likely that current interim head coach DJ Smith will not end up winning the job as more accomplished candidates continue to become available.

On March 1st, the Kings fired Jim Hiller after parts of three seasons as bench boss. Assistant coach DJ Smith was awarded the roll as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Since Smith has been in charge, L.A. has gone 5-5-4 and currently find themselves one point out of the Western conference’s final wild card spot with 76 points.

Not much has changed during Smith’s tenure and if the Kings fail to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s not out of line to assume the organization will go another route for their head coach opening, and some very established names are available.

Bruce Cassidy

When a coach of Bruce Cassidy’s status gets fired, the speculation on who they may coach next begins almost immediately. The 2023 Stanley Cup Champion will surely garner tons of interest when the next hiring cycle begins, and the Kings could be a team to look in Cassidy’s direction.

The 60-year-old has coached 830 regular season games for three different teams. He began his head coaching career with the Washington Capitals from 2002-2004.

After his time in Washington, his next head coaching job came in the middle of the 2016-17 season when the Boston Bruins hired him after letting go of Claude Julien. Cassidy was incredibly successful in Boston. He led the Bruins for six seasons, and they made a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2019.

In 2022 the Bruins moved on from their 2020 Jack Adams winning coach and he was almost immediately hired by Vegas where he would finally reach the summit as he and the Golden Knights raised Lord Stanley in 2023.

Cassidy is one of the most established available coaches and would certainly make an instant impact in the Kings locker room.

Kings’ Kopitar Proving He’s Not Hanging Up His Skates Without An Honest Fight

Kings’ Kopitar Proving He’s Not Hanging Up His Skates Without An Honest Fight Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar is retiring at the end of this year. But with the way he’s been playing lately, he’s not interested in letting his career end without a fight to get into the post-season.

Pete DeBoer

The other name that is expected to get another crack at behind the bench is Pete DeBoer. After the Dallas Stars surprising fired him last summer, the 57-year-old shockingly remains without a job.

With the Kings having an opening behind their bench, hiring DeBoer becomes a real possibility. His over 1200 games of NHL experience should speak for itself and although his teams haven’t been able to get over the hump, he has had an incredibly successful career.

Having coached for five different franchises (FLA/NJD/SJS/VEG/DAL) DeBoer has reached the Stanley Cup Final twice, once with the New Jersey Devils in 2012 (Lost to Kings) and with the San Jose Sharks in 2016 (Lost to Penguins).

Perhaps the most impressive accomplishment of his career is his game seven record. DeBoer is undefeated as head coach in do-or-die games with a 9-0 record. It’s hard to believe a coach with that type of success remains without a championship. Maybe the sixth time is the charm.

Other Notable Names

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