EL SEGUNDO — Ken Holland was formally introduced as the 10th general manager in Kings’ franchise history on Thursday, holding court alongside team president Luc Robitaille at a well-attended news conference.
Much of the Kings’ roster was on hand, ownership was represented by AEG’s Dan Beckerman and Jim Hiller’s coaching staff, which, along with the rest of the hockey ops group, will be retained barring any unforeseen development, was also present. Holland, 69, said an addition or two – his son Brad worked under him previously – could be afoot, but that he was looking forward to working with Hiller, assistant GM Nelson Emerson and others.
Though outgoing GM Rob Blake opted not to return to his position, Holland felt he left the franchise in a solid position despite having no success in the playoffs during his eight-year tenure.
He reiterated several times that he thought the Kings were capable of having a deep playoff team just three weeks ago when they began their fourth straight first-round series loss to the team Holland oversaw for the past five campaigns, the Edmonton Oilers.
“There are no magic wands or tricks. You’ve got to believe in a plan. We’re trying to make a few tweaks to the roster,” Holland said. “Part of this is about internal growth, some of the (young) players, we need them to take a step. It can’t all be about free agency or this big mega trade, it’s a little bit here and a little bit there.”
Like the Kings, the Oilers had struggled to advance in the playoffs, even after the 2015 arrival of generational talent Connor McDavid. They had won a solitary playoff series between their 2006 Stanley Cup Final loss to Carolina and their run to the 2022 conference finals in Holland’s third campaign as GM. Last season, they were two goals and one victory away from capturing hockey’s ultimate prize.
“I’m proud of what we accomplished during my time in Edmonton. In 2019, I did exactly the same thing [as I will in Los Angeles],” Holland said. “Certainly, they had two young great players in McDavid and (Leon) Draisaitl, but you have to build a team.”
Holland, a Hockey Hall of Famer, will always be most remembered for his decades in Detroit, including more than two as general manager. Four Presidents’ Trophies, four Stanley Cup Final appearances and three championships came under his watch, and the Wings made an additional two Final series, one of which they won, with Holland as their assistant general manager.
Robitaille said that pedigree, Holland’s ability to create culture and his compatibility with the Kings’ criteria all made Holland an attractive candidate. Robitaille experienced his work firsthand in 2001, when he was part of a star-studded offseason in Detroit that also brought Dominik Hasek, Brett Hull and another Cup to Motown.
“He knows the path of what it takes to get to the championship, and that’s a hard thing to do and it’s a hard thing to learn,” Robitaille said. “Obviously his experience, what he’s done over his career, is very important. It’s very important, at this time for this franchise, that we get to that next level.”
In 2014-15, Holland crossed paths with Hiller when he hired him as an assistant coach in Detroit. Though Hiller would depart for Toronto the following year, Holland was complimentary of Hiller both then and during the Kings’ franchise-record-tying campaign of 105 points last season.
Hiller was flambeed by many analysts for his coaching performance in a first-round series that saw the Kings win two games and then lose four straight, blowing leads in three losses as well as a win and turning in a dreadful performance in Game 5.
“As I look back and analyze my own personal career, I probably made two or three or four decisions where I might want a Mulligan,” Holland said.
He added of Hiller: “He’ll be a better coach next year for the experience he went through this year.”
Above all, the move to bring in Holland signals a push to win imminently by the Kings, just four years removed from the start of a more aggressive push that emerged from a rebuilding phase.
Holland was asked if he was authorized to make a big signing – the NHL has begun to see nine-figure totals on contracts for its top players – and his response was “yes, absolutely, yes.”
“The L.A. Kings want to be in the big boys’ group. We’re prepared to (spend) to the cap. Now, you’re not just going to spend it to spend it but if we think there’s a player out there that could cost a lot of money and a lot of term, the answer is yes,” Holland said. “This is an organization that is committed, certainly. That’s why I’m here, in my mind, going through all this. I know how to win, you’ve got to have some things [in place] and that’s why I’m here.”