The Mid-Week Take: Darryl Sutter makes sense in Vegas
The Los Angeles Kings made a somewhat surprising move this week, announcing the club was going in a different direction with the firings of head coach Darryl Sutter and general manager Dean Lombardi.
Firing Sutter means that one of the most successful head coaches of the past decade is now available for hire - just what the Vegas Golden Knights were hoping for, right?
The expansion franchise has been mum on its pending hire, after it was reported back in January that Vegas was accelerating its search with an aim toward finding a coach before the regular season concluded.
However, here we are, which is no closer to knowing who will be leading the team's inaugural roster.
It could be a case of mulling over a few options, but the more likely reason for this is that George McPhee and company expected exactly what's transpired over the past week - more big names becoming available.
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The Dallas Stars made it known that Lindy Ruff isn't coming back, Willie Desjardins was canned by the Vancouver Canucks, and Jack Capuano and Gerard Gallant both remain available after being shown the door earlier in the season.
It gives the team a pick of a pretty fine litter.
All that considered, let's get back to Sutter, who as it stands looks to be the best option for the Golden Knights.
Even before a roster is assembled, it's safe to project that the team will have a hard time competing with the elite franchises of the league. With that in mind, it's clear Vegas is going to need a coach who can get the best out of very little.
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Sutter would be perfect for this. The straight shooter of a coach has become renowned for deploying a smothering defensive system that can win championships, as we saw in 2012 and 2014
He also - for the mathematicians out there - still had his Kings lead the league in Corsi-for this season, a notable achievement for a club that finished eight points out of the final wild-card spot in the West and 25th in goals scored. In fact, Los Angeles' 55.71 percent mark since the 2011-12 season also leads the league.
This year didn't work out for Sutter for a few reasons: First, Jonathan Quick was injured most of the year; second, Jeff Carter was the only player who could score; third, that Dean Lombardi gave Sutter very little to work with. Despite that, he remains a top-notch coach.
Sutter's odd, quirky sense of humor and the fact that Vegas is just a four hour drive from Los Angeles should also provide Golden Knights fans with a coach they're familiar with - something that matters more for an expansion franchise.
McPhee appears to have played the market perfectly, and even before he makes his decision he deserves a tip of the cap for that. The Golden Knights are doing everything in their power to make sure the club is set for success in the future.
The next step in that plan is to hire Sutter.