Kings fire Stevens, name Desjardins interim head coach

The Los Angeles Kings have fired John Stevens and named Willie Desjardins as interim head coach, the team announced Sunday.

Stevens' dismissal comes with the Kings sitting in last place in the Western Conference with a 4-8-1 record. A 4-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday was evidently not enough to save his job.

"This is a critical time in our season and our results to date have fallen well below our expectations," Kings general manager Rob Blake said in a statement. "With that in mind, this was a difficult decision but one we feel was necessary."

Stevens was in his second season as head coach. He posted a 45-29-8 record last season before Los Angeles was swept in the first round of the postseason by the Vegas Golden Knights. Stevens previously served as an assistant to former bench boss Darryl Sutter and was a part of two Stanley Cup wins in Los Angeles in 2012 and 2014.

Desjardins was the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks from 2014-15 to 2016-17, posting a 109-110-27 record and making one playoff appearance. He was also the head coach for Team Canada at 2018 PyeongChang, where the team claimed bronze.