The Los Angeles Kings have found their head coach. Former Oilers coach Todd McLellan and the Kings agreed to a deal on Tuesday, ending Los Angeles' search for a replacement for interim coach Willie Desjardins. McLellan, who spent 20 games behind the Oilers bench last year before being fired after just over three seasons with Edmonton, will take over a Kings team with high expectations for a cellar dweller last season.
The Kings suffered a major fall from grace last year, finishing dead last in the league with 71 points. Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014, the Kings have alternated playoff appearances by year. Desjardins took over for John Stevens, who was 49-37-9 in just over a year with the Kings.
McLellan joins the Kings with a career record of 434-282-90 with the Sharks and Oilers. The Kings are hoping that he'll bring some consistency to an unquestionably talented lineup that simply couldn't find the net last year. Anze Kopitar led the team with 60 points, an unacceptable number, and defenseman Drew Doughty was third in scoring with 45 points.
McLellan, of course, is no stranger to elite forward play. With Connor McDavid he took the Oilers to the second round of the playoffs in 2017, but poor showings after and pressure on the front office to make a change saw him get the boot last year when the Oilers got off to a slow start.
