Overview
- The Kings opened a formal head‑coach search Friday, with GM Ken Holland planning to interview five to eight candidates and naming interim D.J. Smith to the list.
- Holland said he will retool the roster instead of launching a full rebuild after the first-round sweep by Colorado.
- Holland set clear targets for the next coach to lift a weak attack and special teams, noting 225 goals for the season and rankings of 29th in scoring, 28th on the power play, and 30th on the penalty kill.
- Anze Kopitar’s retirement after 20 seasons leaves a leadership and minutes gap, and Holland expects Quinton Byfield to take the top center role.
- The incoming head coach will decide on assistants Newell Brown and Matt Greene, and local reports have linked external options such as Bruce Cassidy, Jay Woodcroft, Gerard Gallant, Peter Laviolette, and Manny Malhotra.