Los Angeles Kings Name Todd McLellan as New Head Coach
The Los Angeles Kings have hired Todd McLellan as the team's new head coach, general manager Rob Blake announced on Tuesday.
According to Blake, the Kings agreed to terms on a multi-year contract to make McLellan the 29th head coach in franchise history. He replaces Willie Desjardins, who served as the interim coach last season and was not retained. The Kings went 27–34–8 with Desjardins as coach and finished last in the Western Conference.
McLellan, 51, was fired 20 games into the 2018-19 season by the Edmonton Oilers. He was in his fourth year behind the bench with the club and had accumulated a 123–119–24 record with the team. McLellan previously spent seven seasons as head coach with the San Jose Sharks, where he had a 311–163–66 record.
McLellan's 434 regular season wins are 33rd all-time and 11th among active coaches in the NHL. In his ten full seasons, McLellan's teams missed the playoffs on just three occasions.
The Kings will introduce McLellan as the club's head coach during a press conference on Wednesday.