Manor Holland Expected to be Named Kings GM as Early as Tuesday

[LGKbot]

Relationships matter. And experience still counts for something in this world.

After being featured on the short list of candidates for the LA Kings GM opening last week, all indications are Ken Holland will be announced as the man selected to fill the seat as early as Tuesday. In shaking the trees of all our sources inside and outside the organization, here’s what we’ve been able to come up with:

— During an in-depth KOTP episode released late Thursday, it was explained why we believed Marc Bergevin was not going to get the job and how Holland had emerged as one of the leading contenders, along with three other names.

— Holland and Kings President Luc Robitaille met to discuss things, per a report from TSN’s Pierre LeBrun on Friday.

— As of Saturday, team sources indicated to us that Holland had not been offered the job yet, as several other candidates still needed to have interviews / conversations.

— Sunday was said to be a day off for all involved, in honor of Mother’s Day.

— Various reports on Monday, including a tweet by Rod Pedersen indicated Holland would be the next Kings GM. That tweet happened to be from the same guy who accurately predicted Holland would be hired by Edmonton in 2019, so there’s some sort of connection there.

— Late Monday evening, Mayor’s Manor learned that although the deal isn’t finalized quite yet, there is a belief the deal will get done soon and announced as early as Tuesday. It may slide to Wednesday or Thursday based on getting all the paperwork signed off on. However, it’s that close.

Jim Hiller and Nelson Emerson​

Based on what we’ve learned in talking to various sources, there should not be any immediate news regarding the status of coach Jim Hiller and/or AGM Nelson Emerson. Although Robitaille indicated last week both guys were under contract and expected back next season, things don’t sound quite as solid at the moment. That’s not to say they won’t be back, but more that Holland is expected to come in and take some time to fully assess the organization before making any decisions about their future.

For some additional context, Holland and Hiller have a prior relationship. The former was the Vice President and General Manager in Detroit when the Red Wings hired Hiller out of the WHL in 2014 to be an assistant coach. Granted, their time together was rather short, as the next summer Hiller left for Toronto.

One other name to keep an eye on moving forward is Brad Holland, Ken’s son. Upon the latter taking over in Edmonton five years ago, Brad joined the Oilers as a scout and then later moved into the AGM role. Even if Emerson stays with LA (in his current role or a different one), the younger Holland could join his father as part of the Kings hockey operations department.

As of Saturday, we had the distinct impression several in LA management were interested in talking with several AGM candidates around the league — including a few currently employed by other teams, so they would have to wait to engage in any talks. What could that ultimately mean still remains a bit of a mystery. At this point in time, it’s probably safe to assume that Holland as the Kings GM probably has a short shelf life. Thus, promoting somebody like Mark Yannetti to AGM (in a role where he could be groomed for future opportunities) or somehow hiring away another team’s AGM (with the idea they’d take over in a few years) could be the way to go. One recent example where something like this worked was in Vegas with George McPhee handing the reigns over to his AGM Kelly McCrimmon.

Either way, there will likely be many more questions in the days and weeks ahead, as hiring Holland will probably only be step one of the Kings summer plans.

Here are few additional notes from our article last week:

It’s never wise to overly pick apart what you hear at a press conference. We would always prefer to have actual conversations with a person, where ideas can be flushed out more thoroughly. However, in the absence of such dialogue at this time, there was something that Robitaille said that made my ears momentarily perk up. Again, it could be nothing – but he referenced it doesn’t matter how old somebody is. This is true. Wisdom and experience come in all shapes and sizes. Yet it also comes from swimming in the deep end. Holland has been there, winning multiple Stanley Cups. Now, 69 years old — and that’s not old by any means, he just happens to be the oldest on our list — Holland also brings something incredibly important in moments like this… Trust.

Robitaille is most likely to hire somebody he can trust as the next Kings GM. That statement can be taken many different ways, but it boils down to being able to believe in that person at the end of the day. Can they help? Will they be supportive? There may be a myriad of ways to look at trust, but this one is rather easy. Holland was GM in Detroit when the Red Wings signed Robitaille as a free agent. It’s where he won his only Stanley Cup as a player. There’s a level of respect there across the league, and there is likely a trust there with Robitaille that can’t be broken. That’s helpful.

MORE LA KINGS NEWS:

Kings Of The Podcast, Ep. 228 – Get Crackin’, Luc

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