D.J. Smith Lands as Candidate in Kings Search — Nhl Scores Today
nhl scores today centers on D.J. Smith, who will be among the candidates for the Los Angeles Kings’ full-time head coaching job as Ken Holland begins his search this month. Smith took over on March 1 and pushed the Kings into the playoffs, giving him a real case in a search shaped by another first-round exit.
Smith’s March 1 turnaround
Smith inherited a club that was 24-21-14 when Jim Hiller was fired and out of the playoff picture on March 1. Los Angeles finished 11-6-6 under him and claimed the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
The final result did not change the larger problem. The Kings were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round, extending a run of five consecutive first-round postseason exits and leaving the franchise without a series win since 2014.
Holland narrows the field
Holland said he expects to speak with probably five to eight coaching candidates, mixing experienced head coaches, assistants, and people who have not held the job before. He said, “D.J. did a great job” and added, “The team responded to him, so he’s a candidate.”
He also laid out the scale of the search: “I don’t want to talk to 20 people. I’d like to talk to probably five to eight people, and then make a decision.”
That search follows a season Holland did not like from the start. The Kings were under.500 at home, ranked 29th in the league in goals scored with 225, sat 28th on the power play, and were 30th in penalty-killing. Holland said, “As I sit here today, I’m not happy,” and added, “Luc Robitaille isn’t happy. Our players aren’t happy. It was a disappointing season. Under.500 at home, 29th in the league in goals scored, squeaked into the playoffs, got swept up by a Presidents’ Trophy-winning team. So I’m not happy. We’ve got to make the team better.”
Kings offense and Holland’s test
There was one clear strength inside the numbers. Los Angeles was the league’s third-best team at 5-on-5 defense and finished seventh in total goals allowed, but that did not offset the scoring problems that Holland put at the center of his review. He said, “You’ve got to be good defensively.... You can’t win four games 6-5 in the playoffs. But we’re 29th in the league in goals scored. We’ve got to find ways. Power play has got to be better. We’ve got to generate a little more attack from the back end.”
Holland said, “Are we too defensive-minded? I’ve got to sort that out,” leaving the next coach with a roster that defended well enough to stay in the race but still finished with 15 fewer standings points and 25 fewer goals than last season. The job now is not to explain the collapse; it is to turn a team that survived on structure into one that can score when the games tighten.
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