Kings to announce Holland as new GM on Thursday
Published
Ken Holland will be the next general manager of the Los Angeles Kings, and the team will hold a press conference to announce the hiring on Thursday, TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports.
TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reported earlier in the day that the sides are "moving in the right direction" towards a deal, but nothing has been finalized yet.
Holland, 69, most recently served as the GM of the Edmonton Oilers from 2019 to 2024, exiting when his contract wasn’t renewed last summer after the Oilers reached the Stanley Cup Finals.
A native of Vernon, BC, Holland previously spent more than two decades as the GM and executive vice-president of the Detroit Red Wings from 1997 to 2019. During his time as GM in the Motor City, Holland won three Stanley Cups, in 1998, 2002 and 2008. Having joined the Red Wings organization as a scout in 1987 before moving up in the front office, Holland also won a Stanley Cup with the team in 1997 as an assistant GM.
Prior to his front office work, Holland had a 10-year professional career as a player. A goaltender, Holland was taken with the 188th overall selection of the 1975 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He would eventually see action in four NHL games over two seasons with the Hartford Whalers and Red Wings.
Holland was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020 in the Builders category.
Holland succeeds another Hall of Famer in Rob Blake, who mutually parted ways with the Kings after eight seasons last week.
The Kings made the playoffs in five of Blake’s eight seasons, but have been eliminated in the first round in four consecutive years by the Oilers.