Kings Make Baffling Choice for Next GM

The Los Angeles Kings are reportedly close to naming a new general manager. The organization is finalizing a deal with veteran executive Ken Holland to become the next GM in Los Angeles.

The Kings' decision is baffling. It's another example of how the NHL recycles coaches and executives in favor of giving overqualified candidates a well-earned promotion and opportunity. Not only that, but the Kings have made a crucial mistake in their long-term evaluation.

The hiring team for Los Angeles must have conveniently missed Holland's most recent work with the Edmonton Oilers. With Holland as GM, the Oilers were perennial contenders. They failed to win it all under his guidance, but there's no denying how strong a team they were despite the disappointment.

The Oilers failed miserably at drafting under Holland, and this will wreak havoc on the Edmonton organization for years to come. That same fate now awaits the Kings with Holland at the helm.

Don't believe me? Let's start with 2019. The Oilers drafted defenseman Philip Broberg with the eighth-overall selection. Now a solid defenseman in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues, he's not helping the Oilers anytime soon, and they never gave him the chance to. By selecting him, however, they passed on star players like Minnesota Wild forward Matt Boldy, Montreal Canadiens stud Cole Caufield, and Dallas Stars top defender Thomas Harley. He followed the Broberg pick with forward Raphael Lavoie in the second round. Lavoie has played just 16 NHL games in his career.

In 2020, the Oilers selected forward Dylan Holloway. Like Broberg, his breakout came once he departed the team for the St. Louis Blues. The Montreal Canadiens selected top-four defender Kaiden Guhle with the next pick. Dawson Mercer went to the New Jersey Devils with pick 18.

2021 is the easiest to criticize. Holland selected forward Xavier Bourgault in the first round, and he's still trying to crack the NHL roster. Stars forward Wyatt Johnston, who has become a top player in Dallas, was taken with the very next pick. The Toronto Maple Leafs also selected 25-goal scorer Matthew Knies in the second round.

Through excellent scouting and drafting, the Kings have gone from irrelevant to contender again over the last five years. In addition to the team's veteran leadership core of Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, the team's anchors are all homegrown. Players like Quinton Byfield, Alex Laferriere, Adrian Kempe, Alex Turcotte, Brandt Clarke, Mikey Anderson, and Jordan Spence were all drafted by LA.

With Holland's hiring, the Kings are sending the message that they want to win. Holland is an aggressive executive with championships on his resume. But he's a GM who consistently mortgages the future for the present. It's the last thing the Kings need after building this organization back up through steady and consistent development, and it's a truly baffling decision.