Top head coaching candidate John Stevens will remain with the Kings
The Los Angeles Kings will be promoting and retaining another mid-level figure in their organization.
Amid a flurry of inquiries from the Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, and probably the Vancouver Canucks requesting to interview assistant coach John Stevens for those respective coaching vacancies, the Kings have instead promoted Stevens according to Elliotte Friedman.
Stevens' new job title is 'associate coach', and obviously the Kings intend to keep the long-tenured associate coach, who previously managed the club's defenders, in Los Angeles.
Stevens' promotion is reminiscent of Los Angeles' decision to promote and retain highly rated talent evaluator Michael Futa in early May. Futa was reportedly drawing interest from the Canucks around the time of his promotion.
In addition to promoting Stevens, the Kings also announced contract extensions for assistant coach Davis Payne and goaltending coach Bill Ranford. "Our coaching staff has been an integral part of the success of our team the last three years," Kings general manager Dean Lombardi said in a release via Kukla's Korner. "We are extremely pleased that they will remain part of our team and continue together as we strive for excellence."
The Kings, who refused to lose elimination games this spring, don't like losing talented coaches or executives either it would seem.