Kings Fire John Stevens, Name Willie Desjardins Interim Head Coach
The Kings have fired head coach John Stevens 13 games into the 2018-19 season, the club announced Sunday.
Willie Desjardins has been named Los Angeles' interim head coach.
Stevens had led the Kings to a 4-8-1 record this season. Los Angeles' nine points were tied with the Florida Panthers for the fewest scored, and the Kings entered Sunday having tallied the fewest goals with 28 this season.
"This is a critical time in our season and our results to date have fallen well below our expectations. With that in mind, this was a difficult decision but one we feel was necessary," Kings general manager Rob Blake said in a statement. "We have a great deal of respect and appreciation for John's time with our organization. He was a key part of our past success, and we have tremendous gratitude for his many contributions."
Assistant coach Don Nachubaur has also been fired by the club. He will be replaced by Marco Sturm, a former Kings player currently serving as head coach and general manager of the German national team.
In his first season with Los Angeles, Stevens led the Kings to 98 points and a 45-29-8 record, but they were swept in the first round of the NHL playoffs by the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
Desjardins holds over 20 years of coaching experience. He most recently served as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks from 2014-17 and previously served as associate head coach of the Dallas Stars from 2010-12. He will be the 25th different coach in Kings history.