LOS ANGELES – Let the coaching search begin, new Kings general manager Rob Blake said Tuesday. He couldn’t say whom he might hire, or when he might name Darryl Sutter’s replacement, but he did say he would prefer someone with NHL head coaching experience.
Blake’s first day on the job, after he was hired Monday to replace Dean Lombardi, was a whirlwind of activity that featured meeting with the Kings players at their El Segundo training facility and a news conference along with new team president Luc Robitaille at Staples Center.
“I think the position where our team is, I think a person with previous experience at the helm is an importance,” Blake said of finding the ideal candidate to restore the Kings to elite status after they missed the playoffs this season for the second time in three years.