How ‘undeniable’ Ken Holland landed Kings GM job

The Los Angeles Kings have found a new man to run the show from behind the front office desk, as they have hired former Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland to take over the same position with the team following the departure of Rob Blake.

The hiring has garnered plenty of attention since Holland was among the major architects of the team that had caused the playoff demise of Los Angeles in consecutive seasons before he parted ways with the Oilers. With Holland as their general manager, the Oilers eliminated the Kings in the playoffs in three consecutive years from 2022 to 2024. But that did not hinder the Kings from looking in Holland’s direction and eventually hiring him.

“As we did our due diligence, we identified Ken as the absolute best option and acted decisively to make him our general manager,” Kings president Luc Robitaille said, per the NHL’s official website. “His track record of success is undeniable, and after our conversations with him we were clearly convinced he was the right person for us at this time. He has the experience to lead us on the proper path that will help us win now and compete for the Stanley Cup.”

Holland and the Oilers went in different directions following the Oilers’ loss in the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals to the Florida Panthers, as his contract with Edmonton expired. He joins the Kings with a wealth of experience handling the general manager role. The 69-year-old Holland was also the general manager of the Detroit Red Wings for over two decades from 1997 to 2019.

The Kings, who won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014, have made the playoffs for four seasons in a row, including in 2025, but couldn’t get past the first round, with the Oilers eliminating them every year. It seemed as though Los Angeles was about to end its unfortunate trend versus the Oilers when it went up 2-0 in the first round in 2025, but Connor McDavid and company turned things around and won the next four games to send the Kings to another early vacation.

With Holland taking over in the Kings’ front office, Los Angeles can be expected to make some big decisions in the offseason, perhaps including the fate of head coach Jim Hiller, who led LA to a 48-25-8 record (105 points) in the 2024-25 NHL regular season.