If not Hillier, then who?

[kIngsX]

Personally speaking, I think Hiller has earned a shot as the bonafide bench boss. My feeling is that he coached the team to the playoffs, as he was mandated to do, using the systems already in place, and was successful at that. He now deserves a chance to take the wheel and instill his own brand on this team.

Failing that, if Blake wants to go in a different direction, I see Carolina will probably pooch another first round this playoff season, which could very well see the end of Brind’Amour’s tenure there. If this does indeed transpire, I would love to see him behind the King’s bench

 

[symbology]

Personally speaking, I think Hiller has earned a shot as the bonafide bench boss. My feeling is that he coached the team to the playoffs, as he was mandated to do, using the systems already in place, and was successful at that. He now deserves a chance to take the wheel and instill his own brand on this team.

Failing that, if Blake wants to go in a different direction, I see Carolina will probably pooch another first round this playoff season, which could very well see the end of Brind’Amour’s tenure there. If this does indeed transpire, I would love to see him behind the King’s bench

Not trying to be a smart a$$, but bring in Rod to coach this team to another first round exit?

As for Hiller, I agree the job is probably his. The last few months of this season and the first round failure cannot be blamed on him. It was not his system/roster of choice.

 

[Statue4Deano]

Personally speaking, I think Hiller has earned a shot as the bonafide bench boss. My feeling is that he coached the team to the playoffs, as he was mandated to do, using the systems already in place, and was successful at that. He now deserves a chance to take the wheel and instill his own brand on this team.

Failing that, if Blake wants to go in a different direction, I see Carolina will probably pooch another first round this playoff season, which could very well see the end of Brind’Amour’s tenure there. If this does indeed transpire, I would love to see him behind the King’s bench

The length of the contract for the next head coach will tell you if Blake (and Luc) are really on the hot seat. Blake has 1 year left on his contract. It seems unlikely that ownership will allow him to sign a head coach to a big money multi year deal unless they expect Blake to stick around.

 

[Moog]

The length of the contract for the next head coach will tell you if Blake (and Luc) are really on the hot seat. Blake has 1 year left on his contract. It seems unlikely that ownership will allow him to sign a head coach to a big money multi year deal unless they expect Blake to stick around.

Oof! AEG nickel and diming over Blake's final year, and the length of new coach contract is not a good look as far as wanting the Kings to win.

If what you speculate is true, and I am inclined to think Danny B. is thinking this way, then it's more of the same with the Kings, $$$$ over winning. Danny B. must feel that the Kings are still good in the $$$ department, and they don't fear the fans "walking away" and not spending their $$$ on the Kings.

So long as fans keep spending their money on mediocrity, Danny B., and Uncle Phil are very satisfied, and so is the Luc & Rob Country Club.

 

[HeadInjury]

If a coach is in high demand, you would think that the management situation being unsettled here would cause him to think twice before signing on.

I like Hiller, but perhaps that's impacted by how well he communicates. Is he actually a good head coach? The jury is out. But I expect him to get a shot. That said, Blake is now in survival mode, so he's going to do whatever he can to make the team better in the short term.

 

[JETS GARAGE]

Sheldon Keefe? The guy is a class act.

 

[Dexter]

Marco Sturm.

 

[jom]

Sheldon Keefe? The guy is a class act.

I agree with your assessment but how would that hire avoid another first round exit?

I agree with the above responses. If Blake's contract is up next year I don't see another expensive long-term coaching hire. Blake has already done that once with TM. He probably isn't going to get another kick at the can.

Marco Sturm.

The next obvious candidate other than Hiller.

jom

 

[kingnut]

I agree with your assessment but how would that hire avoid another first round exit?

I agree with the above responses. If Blake's contract is up next year I don't see another expensive long-term coaching hire. Blake has already done that once with TM. He probably isn't going to get another kick at the can.


The next obvious candidate other than Hiller.

jom

Helped by the ahl cup run

 

[DoubleMinor]

Oof! AEG nickel and diming over Blake's final year, and the length of new coach contract is not a good look as far as wanting the Kings to win.

If what you speculate is true, and I am inclined to think Danny B. is thinking this way, then it's more of the same with the Kings, $$$$ over winning. Danny B. must feel that the Kings are still good in the $$$ department, and they don't fear the fans "walking away" and not spending their $$$ on the Kings.

So long as fans keep spending their money on mediocrity, Danny B., and Uncle Phil are very satisfied, and so is the Luc & Rob Country Club.

I think this is taking a comment about the

Oof! AEG nickel and diming over Blake's final year, and the length of new coach contract is not a good look as far as wanting the Kings to win.

If what you speculate is true, and I am inclined to think Danny B. is thinking this way, then it's more of the same with the Kings, $$$$ over winning. Danny B. must feel that the Kings are still good in the $$$ department, and they don't fear the fans "walking away" and not spending their $$$ on the Kings.

So long as fans keep spending their money on mediocrity, Danny B., and Uncle Phil are very satisfied, and so is the Luc & Rob Country Club.

I think this is kinda running with an assumption about this GM and coaching decision and making the argument that it’s strictly about money.
I believe the original post was mostly about supporting Hiller as a valid contender while also acknowledging that Blake has a year left on his contract.
Somehow it became an argument about AEG being tight-fisted, which we already accept as the nature of this ownership.

The real question is how Blake’s uncertain future might impact what Coach may be interested in coming here.

No coach with a strong resume wants to walk into an organization where they don’t know who they are working with. I would assume that the top available coaches would want several years of contract. But they also want to know who their GM is.
Right now, they know Blake could be gone in one year. Coaches know a GM wants a comfort level with their coach. Coaches also know that the direction of a franchise impacts how successful they can be.

This really isn’t about AEG being frugal. It’s about the reality of the situation.

Clearly, if the Kings are looking outside the organization for their next coach there are going to be conversations about the status of the GM. The potential coach is going to need some assurances in that area. Whether the Kings can offer those assurances is unknown by any of us.
Does the org tell prospective coaching hires that Blake is here long term? Does the org extend Blake to provide some stability? Does a coach want the job badly enough to accept the uncertainty?
Aside from restating that AEG is cheap, the issue is really more about how the status of the GM creates some short term impediment.

Without a GM extension I would surmise that signing Hiller to a short contract of 1-2 years is the most likely outcome.

 

[JayWells24]

Hate to say it but the Kings are a mess with no clear direction other than the previous ones which has failed and no identity. Whoever comes on board I wish them well.

I just don't understand how 3 consecutive first round exits doesn't call for a full house cleaning in the front office. Perhaps some empty seats at Crypto.com Arena this Fall will let them know just how unhappy the fans are. Such a shame they let these 2 men (Flake and Luc) have control of the wheel.

 

[hokiecat]

The length of the contract for the next head coach will tell you if Blake (and Luc) are really on the hot seat. Blake has 1 year left on his contract. It seems unlikely that ownership will allow him to sign a head coach to a big money multi year deal unless they expect Blake to stick around.

Exactly. I said the same thing in another thread. Odds of AEG letting a lame duck GM pick a new guy for a multi-year contract are very low. AEG won't want to be paying multiple coaches if Blake gets canned and the new GM wants to make his own pick.
And as DoubleMinor notes, that also means that some of the top candidates might be wary of coming to work for the Kings. Nobody wants to join an org and be an innocent victim in 12 months when they decide to blow things up.

 

[Halfwall]

I am glad to see folks are finally seeing that the Kings ownership wouldn't know the difference between the Stanley Cup and a Stanley socket set. It is always about the $$$. They aren't going to pay for another expensive coach since TM has another year to go. Same for Blake himself. It is also why Blake had to bring in cheap Willie. Good luck getting Phil to buy out another Blake mistake(PLD). AEG is hardly unique, the vast majority of teams care about the revenue first because they are run by businessmen and the odds of winning a cup are a measly 3% each year. It is why teams hate rebuilds because they are expensive in game receipts and usually accomplish little. Cups are for the fans and players.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

If you’re on the hook for $5M, might as well bring Todd back. How much worse could he do next season with a similar roster?

 

[Rog or Reg?]

Is this guy available?

The Kings need a coach with some nasty in him!

Maybe he's getting tired of fine wine and Italian food and living next door to a winery. Then again, maybe not.

Or maybe he'll p*ss off so many Italians he'll need to retreat back to the States.

On second thought, he was too nasty. And he's 74. But the guy obviously loves to coach. He's seven years older than Daryl Sutter and still behind the bench. I always kinda liked the guy, too. He was very entertaining and that permanently raised right eyebrow always cracked me up.

And he was smart. And still is. If I had a choice where I wanted retire, this city in Northern Italy would be at the top of my list.

 

[Statue4Deano]

If you’re on the hook for $5M, might as well bring Todd back. How much worse could he do next season with a similar roster?

It’s funny you mention this. It’ll never happen but I’ve been rewatching the 2014 1st round series between LA and SJ. And I’m seeing a physical, aggressive forechecking, transition focused attacking SJ Shark team and thinking “LA could really use a coach like 2014 Todd McLellan.”

Such an entertaining series.

 

[Statue4Deano]

Blake might have to think outside the box for his next set of coaching hires. I don’t know if Jarret Stoll is even interested in coaching but I’d love to see him behind the bench in some capacity.

If you ever listen to him between periods, he very clearly thinks the game on an elite level, is a great communicator and he never pulls punches when the Kings suck.

 

[DoubleMinor]

Blake might have to think outside the box for his next set of coaching hires. I don’t know if Jarret Stoll is even interested in coaching but I’d love to see him behind the bench in some capacity.

If you ever listen to him between periods, he very clearly thinks the game on an elite level, is a great communicator and he never pulls punches when the Kings suck.

No idea about what Stoll envisions re his future. But he was a character player who knows what it takes and he embraces accountability.
This current team needs both if these traits.

 

[dannybuoy1]

I think Boudreau would be good for players like Fiala and PLD. Problem with Bruce is players tune him out after two years.

Vigneault is available and was about to be the Kings coach but wanted too much money. The roster is perfect for him.

Would love him. He has balls and can motivate. I would choose him and pay him what he wants.

 

[FBJ]