Insiders.<\/p>\n
Been pretty quiet on the coaching search front for the Kings. Frankly, minus the entire saga surrounding Bruce Cassidy and Vegas, there has been very little in the way of concrete information shared about the process. I\u2019ve noticed it as I am sure you have and felt that it was time to push for something more concrete.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, I wish I had more for you here, but there isn\u2019t a ton here in the way of real detail and information. Ken Holland was very generous with his time, before flying off to the Memorial Cup to watch Jared Woolley and Vojtech Cihar. It was appreciated. He did share some details I felt were relevant to the process but that\u2019s what the focus was, on the process and less on specific individuals. Which is his prerogative at the end of the day. <\/p>\n
Holland detailed that he is the one leading the search from the Kings standpoint. I think that\u2019s an important distinction, in that it will be Holland\u2019s first hire with the Kings. He was a part of the decision to retain Jim Hiller after the 2024-25 season, but that was more of a joint call. Here, it sounds as if Holland is both leading the charge and has the ability to influence the way that the hire goes, in the direction he wants it to.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am the one conducting [the search]. I\u2019m talking to a lot of people, I\u2019ve had some interviews and I have some more interviews planned, trying to gather as much information as I can, both through the interview process and I\u2019ve been around a long time, so I know a lot of people in this industry and if I can\u2019t get the information, I know that there\u2019s people who I respect, other General Managers, that I can talk to to get information. I don\u2019t need or want to talk to 20 people but certainly would like to talk to four, six, eight, keep it somewhat tight. The first part of my due diligence was to put a list together and gather information on all those people. Now, I\u2019m working on the interview process. I don\u2019t want to put a timeframe on it, but certainly before the draft and at least a couple of weeks before the draft, on the long end, and make a decision of whether we stick with D.J. Smith or if we go in another direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
He used that \u201c4-8\u201d range a couple of different times to describe the number of candidates in play here. He reiterated something that he said during his end of season interview, which was that he did not want to interview 20 candidates. He feels that the main reason to cast a net that widely is more to gather information about his team than to find candidates. He doesn\u2019t feel he needs 20 external perspectives on his team. His focus is on a head coaching search and the additional conversations he is having are about head coaching candidates, not necessarily seeking that input from candidates. From what he discussed, the list he started with has more or less aligned with the direction he\u2019s gone. Holland has done interviews, but beyond that 4-8 number, he did not share further specifics. <\/p>\n
With regards to Bruce Cassidy, I did ask him directly about Cassidy and his answer was naturally pretty diplomatic and not very revealing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe process is, pretty much everyone is under contract to somebody, so you have to ask for permission and then it\u2019s that team\u2019s right to determine if they want to grant permission or if they don\u2019t want to grant permission. Over the years, I\u2019ve had some calls about maybe not head coaches, but people called and we didn\u2019t want to let them go and we found a way to keep them. That\u2019s your right, that\u2019s what you\u2019ve negotiated when you sign people to a contract. I\u2019ve been around the game a long time to know that if somebody\u2019s decided that they don\u2019t want to grant permission, they\u2019ve negotiated that right and you move on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vegas General Manager Kelly McCrimmon said earlier this week that teams had reached out regarding Cassidy. His answer is embedded below.<\/p>\n
Kelly McCrimmon regarding Bruce Cassidy: “Teams have asked for permission to speak with Bruce. We’ve been consistent that our focus currently is on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the teams have respected that. I’ve spoken with Bruce. He understands this, as well.”<\/p>\n