By Jordan Long
The L.A. Kings have their new head coach. The Kings’ job had been open since they fired Darryl Sutter on April 10th after failing to make the playoffs by 8 points. They didn’t have to look far hiring John Stevens who was an assistant to Sutter. According to ESPN, Kings General Manager Rob Blake said, “His wide array of coaching experience, including success as an NHL head coach and his inherent knowledge of our players and those in our development system, is very appealing to us. We are confident he is the best person to lead our hockey club forward.”
Stevens has experience in the league as a head coach. His previous stop was in Philadelphia which lasted from 2006 to 2010. His record there was 120-109-34, making the postseason twice. In 2008 the Flyers went all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 5 games. The next year, Stevens guided them to the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals where they lost to Pittsburgh in 6 games.
Stevens is not a top coaching name. If they wanted a coach who could take this team to another Stanley Cup Final, they should have hired Dan Bylsma. Bylsma has shown that he can coach a team far in the playoffs. This team has talent and needs a knowledgeable coach to take them far in the playoffs. Stevens isn’t the right person.
The only reason he was hired was the Kings felt Stevens was the best coach on their bench. The Kings play must improve under him. The area they struggled last year was scoring. They couldn’t put the puck in the net scoring only 2.43 goals per game. That must increase in order for them to make a playoff run next season.
The Kings are taking a chance with Stevens. He knows how to coach in this league. Hopefully his system will be different than the Kings used under Sutter. If it is the same, the Kings will miss the playoffs next season yet again.
What do you think of the Kings hiring John Stevens?
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