Friday afternoon did not bring any clarity to DJ Smith’s coaching tenure in Los Angeles. General Manager Ken Holland announced the Kings will begin a coaching search immediately, and Smith is considered a candidate.
Appointed as LA’s interim coach on March 1, following the dismissal of Jim Hiller, Smith guided the team to a .609 points percentage and into the playoffs.
After the team was swept out of postseason play by Colorado on Sunday, he received public support from several players. Smith also petitioned for himself.
When asked on Sunday if he feels he had done enough to keep the job, Smith said that would be a better question for Holland.
“All I know, as a coach and as a coaching staff, is your team prepared?” Smith began. “Are they detailed? Do they show up every night? And the answer to that question is yes, they did under me. Ken’s been around a long time. He’s won Stanley Cups. He’s one of the best in the business. He’s a Hall of Fame General Manager. He’s going to make that decision. So, that’s not up to me to decide. I know I did my absolute best.”
The 48-year-old former defenseman also shared a little more info from their earlier talks.
“When we met, when this all started, he said, ‘We’ll see what happens and we’ll talk at the end of the year.’ I’ve done this in the league. I know what the job entails. I think my teams are hard to play against and I think we were hard to play against.”
After originally joining the Kings in February 2024 to help Hiller in the aftermath of Todd McLellan’s firing, Smith eventually was signed to a multi-year extension as Associate Coach (a position slightly higher in NHL ranks than an Assistant Coach title). He is believed to have one year remaining on that deal but will not remain with the team going forward.
Regarding the status of assistant coaches Newell Brown and Matt Greene, that remains to be seen. Holland said he wants the head coach to ultimately make that decision. “Once we have a coach in place, that will determine their fates,” he stated.
We’ll have more on this situation later today as the situation continues to develop. Holland will also be heading up the search for a new Kings coach beginning immediately.
Expect the team to instantly be linked to names like Bruce Cassidy. However, it remains to be seen if the organization can cross at least two thresholds to make that happen. First, can they convince Cassidy, or another high-profile coach, that they will have a competitive roster next season. Second, will they have an appetite to commit big dollars for another head coach (i.e. some believe Cassidy is about to become the highest paid coach in the NHL this summer).
Jay Woodcroft is another name some are likely to bring up. There’s a history there with Holland from his time in Edmonton. Woodcroft is currently an Assistant Coach in Anaheim.
Don’t sleep on Gerard Gallant either. For a dark horse, think of somebody like Pat Ferschweiler of Western Michigan.
In the end, the Kings don’t necessarily need the most expensive coach. They need the right coach. That could be the same person or those could be mutually exclusive concepts. Time will tell.
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