After the cataclysmic events that re-shaped the Kings organization last Sunday, a relatively quiet follow-up weekend this Easter was welcome.
That's not to say the new front office went on vacation:
Last reports had them considering assistant coach John Stevens for promotion.
My initial reaction? It would seem to be a tough challenge for Stevens, who was part of the old, goal-starved coaching staff, to convince Rob Blake that he's the man to squeeze some more goals out of this squad.
However, Stevens's track record suggests he could be up to that challenge.
Before Stevens cemented his reputation as LA's defensive Svengali -- he
helped mold Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin, Slava Voynov, Alec Martinez, among others over the last seven years -- he helmed the Philadelphia Flyers from 2006-09.
In October 2006, assistant coach Stevens replaced Ken Hitchcock, who had worn out his welcome in the City of Brotherly Love.
The noticeable difference for the NHL-worst Flyers may be this: Many of the younger players that load the roster no longer worry about how every mistake might cost them playing time or get them an earful from an angry Hitchcock. These Flyers are bit more relaxed.
"When I had Hitch the first year, it was my fourth year in the league and it felt like my first year, so it was pretty tough," leading scorer Simon Gagne said. "He's very tough, very demanding on you. Sometimes it's very tough to play under that kind of pressure. Maybe with John Stevens as the coach, I think he'll give more chances for the young guys and to let them make mistakes." (USA Today, 2006)
Sound familiar? Darryl Sutter wasn't exactly known as a relaxed, youth-friendly coach. Casting him in the Hitchcock role here doesn't seem to be a stretch.
"Where Hitch's team was more apt to sit back," Holmgren said, "John's team will be more apt to go after it." (New York Times, 2006)
Stevens combined a more aggressive forecheck with teams that "countered effectively off...neutral-zone defensive lock-downs." (
Philadelphia Flyers at 50, 2016)
All this resulted in the Flyers finishing sixth (2007-08) then fourth (2008-09) in Goals For in Stevens's two full seasons in charge. In fact, his team lagged in Goals Against, 19th (2007-08) then 15th (2008-09).
In just one year, Philadelphia went from league-worst to the 2007-08 Eastern Conference Finals. However, Stevens was fired mid-season just two years later in favor of the fiery Peter Laviolette. Those Flyers would overcome a 3-0 series deficit to Boston in route to the Finals.
"Why not go all out if you're the best team? It's an interesting question," Stevens said. "Puck possession is the answer. You want the puck. You don't want them to have the puck. The whole idea of puck possession is how good are you when you have it? If you play good defense, you get the puck back quicker. You play good defense to get the puck back." (NHL.com, 2008)
Unlike Sutter, however, puck possession played out more in principle than in practice for Stevens. From 2007-09, Philadelphia was among the league's worst in 5v5 Corsi For %, Scoring Chances For %, and Expected Goals For %.
Instead, the Flyers dominated on special teams. They boasted an explosive power play (22.3% from 2007-09, second in NHL) and an aggressive penalty kill (83.1%, sixth). This PK was memorably led by a young Mike Richards, who rang up 12 shorthanded goals in that span.
Davis Payne, who headed Sutter's power play, was let go last week. Coincidentally, Joey Mullen, who headed Stevens's man advantage in Philadelphia and remained in that role under Laviolette, Craig Berube, and Dave Hakstol, was fired just a couple days later. The Flyers' PP was third in the NHL from 2007-17 (20.5%)
"There are several different power-play styles in the NHL now," Stevens concluded. "Anaheim is very effective with a 1-3-1 and numerous teams have more of an "umbrella" type of set up. At the end of the day, you have to attack the net." (NHL.com, 2008)
This flexibility of approach seems promising for a Los Angeles power play which was criticized at times for its predictability.
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In summary, Stevens's past belies the notion that he would just be a staid continuation of Sutter's reign.
He also has a reputation for being a more laidback, player-friendly coach, which might be welcomed by the veteran Kings locker room.
For an LA organization that is hoping to keep the stinginess from the Sutter era, while incorporating some more shooting success, Stevens might actually be the perfect fit. The 50-year-old is certainly familiar with the defensive foundation which led to two Cups, but he's also enjoyed notable offensive success.
This isn't necessarily an endorsement for Stevens. Blake might be seeking a clean break, someone who didn't work under Dean Lombardi for seven seasons and Sutter for six. There's an argument for that.
But anyway, don't look at Stevens as just a re-tread or Sutter Jr.
I'm reminded of something George McPhee said last Thursday when he introduced Vegas's new coach Gerard Gallant, "We primarily wanted an experienced coach because experienced coaches, usually, they're better with their second team or their third team."
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The Kings tied an interesting record when they promoted Blake to general manager. This was the third time that Los Angeles has asked a player whose number they've retired to GM. This matches Detroit, which has 40 years more history than LA.
Here's the complete list of retired numbers/GMs:
Boston (Milt Schmidt)
Carolina (Ron Francis)
Colorado (Joe Sakic)
Detroit (Sid Abel, Alex Delvecchio, Ted Lindsay)
Los Angeles (Rogie Vachon, Dave Taylor, Rob Blake)
Montreal (Serge Savard, Bob Gainey)
Philadelphia (Bobby Clarke)
Toronto (Hap Day)
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