Los Angeles Kings name John Stevens head coach

The LA Kings are about to fill their coaching vacancy just two weeks after firing Darryl Sutter.

According to reports from around the NHL, including from ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, John Stevens will be the next head coach of the Los Angeles Kings. The team will hold a press conference to make it official on Monday morning at the Staples Center.

The Kings cleaned house after the regular season, firing head coach Darryl Sutter and general manager Dean Lombardi on April 10. After missing the playoffs for the second time in three years, the Kings parted ways with the coach and GM that led them to two Stanley Cups, in 2012 and 2014.

New GM Rob Blake and president Luc Robitaille moved quickly to replace Sutter, promoting Stevens to the top job after serving the last five years as an assistant coach for the Kings. Stevens has been part of the Los Angeles organization for seven years, briefly LA’s interim head coach in the 2011-12 season after Terry Murray was fired.

Before joining the Kings, Stevens spent almost four seasons behind the bench of the Philadelphia Flyers, fired midway through 2009-10. Stevens led the Flyers to an Eastern Conference Final appearance in 2008. He has a 122-111-34 career coaching record in the NHL. Stevens also coached the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL for six years, winning a Calder Cup in 2005.

The Kings have made some big off-ice changes this month, after 86 points landed them fifth in the Pacific Division. With several core players approaching the tail end of their prime, LA have won just one playoff game total in the past three years.

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LA’s new management group has a lot of work to do in the off-season, with some important contract negotiations coming up. Both Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli will be restricted free agents in June, which will likely be Blake’s next test as GM.