Live Q&A with with General Manager Ken Holland | LA Kings

Live Q&A with with General Manager Ken Holland | LA Kings

Thanks for coming. Good to go. Yeah, whatever you got. Cool. Good to go. All right, guys. Well, thanks so much for coming. Uh, I’m Josh Schaefer. I’m one of the broadcasters for the team. Uh, of course, this is King’s new general manager, Ken Holland. Ken, thanks so much for being with us. Yeah, my pleasure. Nice to be here. We’re also streaming live uh online, so we do have an online audience with some more of our season ticket members. So, we’re very grateful for everyone joining us today. And Ken, obviously, we’re we’re getting really close to opening night. We’ve got these last two preseason games. Getting excited for opening night? Very excited. I’m excited for the last two preseason games. Uh you know, the first five we’ve used uh you know, lots of young players, lots of uh players that are competing for jobs. Um, and most of the teams that we’ve played have done that. So, I know that uh tomorrow night and Saturday, um, I’m expecting both teams, Utah and Anaheim, to have almost their full roster. So, it’ll be a, you know, two really good preseason games. Obviously, we start Tuesday and Wednesday and right at it with Colorado and Vegas. So, uh, be an opportunity here the next two nights to next two games to get our game sharp and, um, made lots of lots of moves last night after the game on the plane on the way home. uh made some uh some cuts and and send some back green tree back to juniors. So we’re we’re down to uh you know almost a team. So you’ve got pretty much the 23 guys you kind of think that we’re working with here. And you know we’ll talk about the the offseason moves and and the way that you’ve kind of built the team for this upcoming season, but something that we’ve heard you talk quite a bit about is the analogy of climbing Mount Everest. Um trying to get to that ultimate goal. And it’s not just the Kings. There’s 31 other teams in the NHL that are trying to do the same thing. So, what does it take for this team, this group this season to to climb Mount Everest and get to the top before anybody else does? Well, first off, I would, you know, that came from the early 90s, mid 90s when I was in Detroit and we were building and then Scotty Bowman came in and, you know, we eventually got to the top of Mount Everest, which the Stanley Cups up there in 1997. And then, you know, when I went to to Edmonton in 2019, it was kind of the same uh the same uh you know, belief path. And you know, I think that number one is um you know, this team has been right there four years in a row. And of the four playoff series with Edmonton, three were really close. Three three were up for grabs. The one series was four to one for Edmonton. Probably the better team in that series. the other three series um Edmonton found a way to get get the series done um and and then went to the Stanley Cup finals in in both series. So, you know, for me it speaks to how close the LA Kings are with the top teams in the Western Conference and the top teams in the National Hockey League. Uh, one of the things I tried to do and I really believe in is the importance of experience, depth, um, size and those were some of the things that we tried to do uh, in the off season as well as the experience of of being in those um, playoff series and in those in those moments uh, in the past years and believing that with a little bit of um, making the team bigger, better, deeper that that you’ll be more ready the next opportunity. Now, I don’t want to get ahead of myself because there’s 82 games to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs and there’s teams that missed last year. You know, probably all 16 in the West have hopes of being in. So, you’ve got to go through that whole 82 game grind to put yourself back in that in that in that position. It’s it’s it’s uh it’s going to be hard. It’s only half the teams make the playoffs, but certainly we tried to make moves that we thought would make us better over 82 games and hopefully um impact our team long term beyond that. Now, those additions that that you guys made, you know, on on the blue line, Cody Cece, Brian Dumlan, of course, Cory Perry up top, Joel Arma, Anton Forsber, another goalender. Those were moves that you guys made to fill specific roles with this group. What are some of those things that that you felt the team was missing in the past that you wanted to execute by bringing in those types of players in the offseason? Well, I mean, you know, the teams, you know, on opening night, uh, as I made a presentation to to to the players, um, and again, I go back to working with Scotty Bowman in in Detroit, the importance of being able to defend, keep the puck out of your net. That’s what the LA Kings have done the last two years. They’ve been second overall and third overall in goals against. So, we need to continue to have a focus on being good defensively. Why do you want to be good defensively? Because, you know, it’s hard to score that extra goal. So, if you it’s easier, you’d like to be able to win two to one instead of having to win five to four or four to three. Um, and I I showed them over the last four or five playoff series where the final four teams, it’s not not 100%, but three out of four most times are top 10 in the league and goes against. So, it’s important to to know how to defend and that’s what has been part of the LA Kings calling card the last two years. We need to continue to be good on that. Um, special teams last year, I think the team was eighth in the league in penalty killing. Need to continue to be um, you know, Arma kills penalties, CC kills penalties, Dumlan kills penalties. Um, you got to be good in special teams. Last year, I think the team was 30th in the league on power play up until the trade deadline when um Rob Blake acquired uh Kouseno and I think they were sixth or eighth from the trade deadline to the end of the year. So um ressigning Kuzeno, Cory Perry obviously as a power play guy and I know in talking to the people here that at the trade deadline uh they felt it was important to find somebody that shot right. You know, when you got a power play, you need you can’t have it’s a little harder with five lefties or five righties. You need you, you know, if you had the one time, you got to have that other angle. So, bringing in Kusmeco, who’s a right shot, added to the lefties, you know, Fiella shoots left, Copitar’s left, uh, um, Juice is left, uh, Q’s left. So, and now Cory Perry shoots right. Corey Perry’s is a guy that’ll go to the net front. Um, Kusbanko shoots right. He he can make plays. So I I feel my job as a manager is to try to give the coach multiple options and then he’s got to see how the options what which which works the best together. So by bringing in resigning Kuzbango and bringing in Corey Perry from a power play perspective um gives gives Jim Hiller more more options. And then, you know, Mark Berseran is one of my senior adviserss in there. And I had I had Corey Perry in um in Edmonton and when I was in Detroit, followed Corey in in in Anaheim. You know, the importance of being good at I call it the blue paint, you know, around the net. Your net around their net. Defend your net and get to their net and cause havoc. And certainly on the on the offensive side, um that’s one of the things that Cory Perry does. Perry and Armier played on a line together in Montreal when they went to the Stanley Cup finals. So, we’re hoping and believing that we brought in um a number of people that provide a bunch of different options. We we’ve heard before that the last couple years the Kings were one of the youngest teams in the playoffs and you had some veterans this year, but now I mean you look up and down the lineup and you have players like Joel Edmonson who was brought in last year. um maybe not the flashiest signing, but he had a great season. He’s a veteran presence. He’s won a Stanley Cup. Brian Dumlan’s won two Stanley Cups. Cory Perry has won a Stanley Cup and been to the finals the last couple of years. How important is it to to have these young players coming in and taking bigger roles, but at the same time establishing a veteran presence of players who know what it takes to go the distance? Well, I think very important. I think, you know, you know, I think Rob Blake and the people have done a great job here um in, you know, rebuilding and and and getting the team, the team has basically had 100 points a year the last four years. Two 99 point seasons, but let’s call it 400 point seasons. Um hard to get 100 points in the National Hockey League, then they’ve done it basically four years in a row with with 99. So, you know, our challenge, our goal here is to have another really good regular season. You know, if you wanted if you want to win in the playoffs, you got to win in the regular season. It’s number one, you got to win to get in, but number two, you got to win to have the DNA to know how to win and and and and win. Some nights you got to win 65 and some nights you got to win one nothing and two to one. You got to win. You got to win different ways. But certainly that’s when you get into a um you know, you can talk about a playoff series, you know, playoff series is is seven games. The season’s 82. So, in a seven game series, those vets understand it’s a roller coaster and you might lose a game or you might be down, you want to you want to bounce back. And I think the same thing over 82 games. Um, when it’s not going your way, you got to, you know, when when maybe panic’s going on all around you, you got to make sure that you you believe in what what’s what’s happening. You’ve got leadership in there and believe that what we’re doing is going to eventually uh turn to to uh to to success. So I think that’s what experience that’s what that’s what leadership does and then at the same time to your to your point the you know young players like Biffield Leferier Clark uh Turkot Helenius you know these are all you know 22 to 24 years old maybe 20 even not even maybe 23 they they’re playing with veteran people um and they feed off of their experience and the the vets have those younger younger players that sometimes you get into January, February, the the energy level sometime gets low. The young guys are bring providing energy and they’re it’s it’s balancing. You got the veteran leadership and you’ve got the the youthful exuberance. Where are those players at, I guess, based off of your evaluations when when you came here. These are players that were here before you came to the Kings this last offseason, but now they’re kind of at that point where they’ve really started to hit their stride. And I know it’s the coaching staff that’s going to try to get the best out of him, but how do you evaluate guys like Lefari, Biffield, Clark, Turkot? Well, I they’re really good players. I would say this, you know, I started scouting in 1985 with the Detroit Red Wings and you know, over the course of you know, you got things that have worked and you got things that haven’t worked or or or players and I think the age of 23 in most cases is is that age when players kind of take a jump. there is the the the the special few that maybe at 19 20 21 can come in and really impact the league, but I 23 is the age when players take a take it take a step forward. So players that you’re talking about are just just coming into that that age group when they’ve got a couple of years under them in the National Hockey League. they’ve got an understanding of how the the league works and how tough it is and challenges and and and now they’re ready to take a a step in their career. So, um you know, I think that you know, being around uh those young players that you’ve talked about, um they’re important parts of the team. Um you know, Helenius, 6’6, he’s a great big guy. You know, you you you like you like big people. you like, you know, you like the, you know, when I when you think about the teams that have won the Stanley Cup, you know, the Floridaas and and the Vegases and the St. Lewis and um Tampa Bays and you know they’ve got lots of big players but there’s there’s some there’s some small players but but you need to have an element of size and certainly Helenius brings that and I think he’s had a good camp and he’s got the long reach and you know maybe get develop into a penalty killer and and uh um Q’s a big guy and and uh Lafy’s really smart and plays 200 feet and um goes to the blue paint. So they’re young players. They’re really important to our group, uh, to our team, and they’re going to be more important as as we go along because they’re on the upswing. Um, and their their importance to the team should and will grow uh, based upon and and Brand Clark based upon what I’ve what I’ve seen. We’re going to open it up to questions uh, with the group here uh, in a couple of minutes. We also have the online stream as well. We have an online audience that can ask questions as well. So, we’re going to open it up to that in a couple of minutes. But I I want to ask you about Andre Kopitar. As we all know, um he announced a couple weeks ago that he’s going to be retiring after the season. Um I I’m curious. You’ve been around the league a long time and I’m sure that you have evaluations of an Kopitar from an external perspective and now an internal one. Uh what has it been like for you to kind of see his career develop? And now that you’re here, what does he mean to this group? Well, first off, he’s a Hall of Famer. I mean, he’s one of the best centermen of his era. uh 200 foot player, big big, strong, powerful. Um I mean, even at the age of 37, he’s still he’s still a really important really good I mean, it was sad for me to sit here and watch the pressure. I mean, I think he could play another two, three, four years, but but he has to make decisions that are in his his is his his his his, you know, I I’ve had, you know, in Detroit, my time in Detroit, and Edmonton, I’ve players play into their 40s that impacted positive impact on the on the team. And certainly I think Anzy could go there, but ultimately to to to do that when you’re 37, 38, and 39, it’s a massive commitment, especially in the offseason when you’ve got a when you’ve got a family going to the gym and and everything that you got to do to be to be to be ready to play at your at your peak. So, um you know, it’s going to be uh you know, I’m sure as we get down at the end, it’s going to be emotional, but uh I think for him it’ll be business as usual, like he said at the presser, right? Um, I mean, he’s the leader. He sets the tone. He still plays against the other team’s best players, you know. He’s he’s um unbelievable defensively. I mean, even never turns the puck over. Um, puck protection. Um, and I think that, you know, when I’m talking about the goals against, you know, people might think about, you know, the goalending or or the defense, but really it’s a commitment from from the entire team. And when your best forward, you know, Kopi in his going back in his prime is playing 200 feet. Everybody’s playing 200 feet. And that’s when I watched uh in 85 Eisermanman under Scotty Bowman kind of go from being a great offensive player to a great two-way player. And that’s when the the Red Wings started to win. And then, you know, the Zederbergs and the Datuks followed. And you know, I I think that that I kind of watched that happen in in Edmonton. That’s the that’s the impact that that Anzi Kopitar has had on this franchise over a long period of time. Obviously won Cups in 2012 and 14 and um great two-way player. Hopefully uh we can have another great regular season and um make a lot of noise here at the end uh on his way out. How rare are players like that? because you’ve you’ve had a few you just met the Datuk Sedterbergs, the Eiserman’s like those types of players are rare and I feel like we’ve been blessed with a player like like Kobe here for so long and and Drew and and and Quick and Brown and guys like that too. How it doesn’t happen very No, no, they’re they’re very rare. I mean, it’s, you know, they’re special special players and and um I think, you know, you realize when you’re watching how special, but I think probably sometimes when they’re gone, then you start to realize really how how special they were. Um and and probably um good for all the fans to know that that this is Kop’s last year and you can really take in and soak up um how good he is even at the age of 37. Uh and and um but but they’re rare. They’re they’re they’re they’re, you know, they’re they’re they’re people that that they carry the franchise for a long time, you know, like they they put the franchise on their back and and uh and they do all the heavy lift and they got all the hard matchups and they’re they’re on the ice in all the key situations and they’ve got responsibilities, you know, as leaders as leaders off the ice to make sure everybody’s uh um buying into what needs to happen for the team to win. So, um, they’re they’re they’re they’re very hard to find. Um, and the LA Kings fans and this organization has been very very fortunate to but I also think um, a guy like Quinton Biffield and Leferier, what a treat, what a treat for and a learning and education for them to play, right? um part of their career with Anzie Copitar and see how he goes about his business. And you know, fans only see the game, but but there’s practices and and being ready for practice and focused on how they practice and how they eat and and what time they go to bed and how they how they how they how they handle the adversity of a of a downtime and and and those are all the things that are necessary in professional sports to be successful. So when you’ve got a player like that, it’s not only his impact on the team um during that time, but it’s his impact on the team uh on the young players that are going to take over the franchise after he’s he’s gone going moving forward. I have one more question before we open it up to the group and to the chat. And I feel like I have to ask you because I know everybody’s wondering uh what is the status of Adrien Kemp’s contract situation going forward? I know. See, everyone’s every person was going to put up their hand and ask. So, I feel like I have to ask before we Well, first I would say he’s a priority. Um, you know, I’m I’m uh planning that we’re going to get them signed. Um, I would say this to you, like because the cap is going 10 million, 10 million right now. There’s there’s there’s uh there’s kind of an unknown of where of where where all this is. Um, I have had lots of conversations with his agent JP Barry. Um, so I’m optimistic and hopeful at some point in time we’re going to get him signed up to a to a long-term extension. Um, I know and believe that he wants to be here and I I want to get him done and I got to find we got to find that sweet spot that um is fair for both sides. it’s fair for the player and it’s fair for the team because uh you know I don’t want to have a player that’s underpaid and and and and obviously we want to have keep adding to our our talent pool and and uh you know the amateur scouts I would say this one last thing I think the amateur scouts have done it one thing that has really been impressive um in preseason for me is the play of Greenree the the the play of Woolly the play of Gris Bruskovich and the play of uh Carter George um you know they’ve all gone back but George played two games was basically in my mind you know first start probably in a in a rookie game and then and then in the the NHL game um Green Tree played really good at two three points you know 6’3 great big guy with skill good hands hockey sense has sent him back to to junior want him to push to make Canada’s world junior team same thing with with George um So, um, and there’s some other there’s there’s some other people. So, not only the young people that we’ve got on the team. There’s there’s some some really good and there’s some other kids that have a chance, but those are the four that probably really jumped out here uh in in in preseason. So, uh it’s exciting to uh to know that you’ve got these young these young people pushing through the system. Yeah. So, we’re going to open it up to to questions from the group here. We have obviously we have fans here. We have fans on the on the online stream. Uh, so let’s open it up to questions. Does anyone have one now that the Kempe question has been asked? Do we still have some questions? Okay. Yeah, let’s go over here. Uh, as an outsider, as an outsider coming into the organization, you’ve mentioned the scouting staff. What else was there that was a good surprise to you? I would say this. Um, you know, they’ve done a good job in the amateur draft. You know, I I I think they’ve done a good job everywhere. you know, you you look at the pro scouting department. I the the um the signing of Edmon or the the signing of Edmonson and and the the signing of Fogle, you know, th those two players and the the trade for Keer um finalist for the for the VZDA trophy. So, um that’s why, you know, it’s hard it’s a hard league to get 100 points a year. So unfortunately Evan, we have to figure out a way now to to do it again and then turn that into playoff success and and and and playoff rounds one. So they’ve got a the player development department that it’s it’s a big department. Um they’ve done a lot of winning and the Shawn O’Donnell’s and the Matt Greens and the Jared Stoles. So they know what it takes. They’re they’re here every day. Um, I think the amateur scouts have done a great job we we’ve got we’ve got to turn this into playoff success. That’s I mean that’s that’s ultimately but I also don’t want to we got to win in the regular season. So you got to you got to you got to keep at it. You got to keep at it. You got to keep at it. I think Luke Robbitai, Rob Blake, um Nelson Emerson, Glenn Murray, and all the people have done a a fabulous job here uh in in building this team up to be um I think it’s a team that you come to the rink. They they what they think the best homeinning record in the National Hockey League last year. So nice to come to the rink to to to watch your team win. So, um, I’m just hoping to come in, provide some leadership, maybe some little bit of different ideas that can help us take the next step. Yep. Any more questions here? Yeah, right over here. Thanks for taking the time to meet with all of us. I know it the fans greatly appreciate it. Um, you’ve you’ve um you’ve had a great historic career, right, already in the Hall of Fame. Um, how have you seen the game change throughout your career? Um, how did you adapt to those changes and what do you do to stay up to date to maybe project or foresee what changes might be coming next? Uh, great question. Um, game’s way faster. Um, you know, and I think part of it’s twofold. Part of it’s the rule changes. You know, you I think back to ’05 when when there was the work stoppage and Colon Campbell, you know, they they opened the game up, the red lines out, so the game’s faster. It it’s going back and forth way way faster. Um the younger players coming into the game are probably more prepared than than they ever have been. And I think that that’s due to, you know, more they’re watching games on TV and and they’re, you know, all these these these federations are identifying the players at, you know, 14, 15, 16 and and and they’re they’ve they’re in the gym quicker and they they they’ve got more video, so they’re just they’re just more ready earlier. Um, and and I I I would say goalies are bigger, you know, for the most part. You know, you start to you guys go to the games and I was a goalie. The the when I went down the bar used to be at my neck. I look now the bar is in the lower part of the back. So, you know, they’re big their big goalie. I think that’s the Patrick Wah influence from the early 90s and he was 6’2, but everybody else before that was goalies were 58 like my size to 5’11. So, you know, they’re just uh I think the game is goalies are bigger. They it’s it’s it’s it’s hard to it’s hard to score a goal. Um you know, last night we’re playing in Utah, they they had a um two players they drafted in the first round. Um one was 66 and one was 67. One was sixth overall, one was I think 11th or 12th overall. So, you know, the the there’s there’s more big people. When I was scouting, I started in 85. I would say to you, we were looking at sixfooters. If you’re 6’1 and 6’2, you’re you’re kind of on the upper side of being big. Well, now now we’re talking players 65, 66, 67, and they’re not drafted in the seventh round, and they’re just sort of long shots. They’re drafted in the top 10 of the draft because they’re going to be players pretty quick. So, I I think that that the game’s faster, games getting bigger, you know, the the goalies are the goalies are getting bigger. But ultimately, if you got if you got hockey sense, if you got hands, um you can skate and you compete, doesn’t matter how how big you are, you you can be successful in the league. But I think overall it’s it’s it’s kind of getting, you know, lot you watch the draft. I mean, there used to be lots of goalies maybe my size drafted. No, those kind of goalies size aren’t aren’t getting drafted. So, the game’s getting bigger, game’s getting faster. Rules have opened it up and then and then I think obviously with with the salary cap, um it’s it’s there’s so many teams so close, you know, it’s it’s I know in in 200 played Nashville in the first round had a payroll at 25. So, there was this massive disparity between um the high payroll teams and the low payroll teams. those days, they don’t exist anymore. So, the salary cap has made it really close. That’s why that’s why I’m really excited not about being here um to work with Luke. Um but it’s a good team and we’re right there and and and uh see if again if we can just find a ways to but there’s 16 teams are thinking like I am. That’s that’s the beauty of the salary cap. Everybody thinks they’ve got a they’re right there and they they’ve got a chance and they do have a chance. I think I think it’s great for the for the fans, too, because um there’s so many games, so many things so close. Hope I answered your question. Yeah, it does. Hi. Um uh first off, miss welcome to LA, Mr. Holy. Uh I just want to say as a goal, I understand what you’re saying because I’m only 5 foot 10, so I I get where you’re coming from. Uh speaking of goalending, um you uh you uh you guys signed Anton Forsberg uh in the offseason. So uh do you believe in today’s NHL you need like two solid goalenders uh to compete? And um does it help like you know alleviate like the number like Darcy Keer’s uh how many games he played so he could still be like you know fresh and all that stuff like during the during the season? I I I certainly believe it’s a two goalie system. Now, one one guy might play 60 games, but there’s still 22 games there. And we’re talking, you know, I think is it is it uh in the last couple of years teams did I think did Calgary and St. Louis tie in points last year, one got in and one was out and then I think the year before Detroit tied in points with Washington, I believe, and Washington in Detroit’s out. So, um you know, at one point. So at the end of the day, the importance of having a two goalie system because even if you have a guy that plays 60 games, those 22 games that the other guy plays could have a major impact on on your on your on your team. So I, you know, it’s important to have two goalies. Obviously, if you get an injury, you like to have then you can have a guy that can step in and take over. But I I think that uh it’s a two goalie league. Um when you get into the playoffs, you’re really probably go to the one goalie in most cases, but um over 82 games, you know, you know, you look at our schedule, you know, home Tuesday to Colorado and you got to fly over and you got to play the next night against Vegas and then you got to go and here we go every second night for six months. Um you need two goalies. It’s it’s it’s it’s a tough position. There’s a lot of pressure. um much like the same, you know, you you need you need good depth. You’re probably going to go through 14 15 forwards, probably going to need eight defenseman over the course of the 82 games. So, you need you know what what you’re starting with on opening night. That was sort of my message last night to some of the players that we told them are going on waiverss. I’m expecting we’re going to need you at some point in time. go down, play good in the American League because, you know, there’s there’s going to be injuries and and and depth is important to uh part of part of the recipe to success. Have another question. Anybody on this side of the room? We got one here in the front. Welcome to LA. Um, I remember the Detroit era where they had the grind line with Draper, Mccardi, and uh, Martin Le Point. Um, do you see the Kings trying to build a fourth line very similar to that with maybe Malo and Corey Perry as well as um, Helenius? It’s it’s a great question by you because certainly having a really I thought that last year um the third line of Deno Mure and Fogle had a real impact on on on the 105 106 points. Um not only about what they do offensively, but they can play against the other team’s best players and then they can free up it. It allows your coach to have if you’re playing a team that doesn’t three lines deep um and they’re only two lines deep then then it allows your coach to have a bit of a mismatch especially at home certainly now you I think you all you know you got the Copitar line with with Kuzenco and you’ve got the the Bfield line the deno line now we you know we got Perry Turkot um Motz had a really good preseason um Helenius uh Corey Perry so you know we’ve got five guys is there that we think can go in and they all can give us different looks and um you know Malot’s heavy and and and Cory Perry is experienced and goes to the paint and has has kind of gone up and down the lineup in Edmonton the last couple of years so he can be down there and move up and Arma kills penalties and he he can play right wing and he can play left wing and Turkot can play center on the fourth line but if we have an injury he can go up he’s like a Swiss Army knife last year he went up and played with with Copitar um and And Helenius is 6’6 and if you got him down the middle he he he he provides a different dimension. So I’m hoping that we’ve we’ve we’ve we’ve between the people that were here and the growth of them and and the addition of Perry and Arma will allow us to be able to have um roll four lines deep. And now it’s got to it’s got to happen. But that certainly was kind of the thinking in the bless you in the in the in the off season. But but so it ends up, you know, they had, you know, the Maltby, Draper, McCarti line did that for Detroit in their heyday. You know, Scotty would you match them up against the, you know, the Joe Sackic line or the Forsber line or whoever and then it freed up the EA Mcfedov line for somewhere else. So I think that’s a bit what uh what what the Denode line did last year. They and and then not only that they chipped in what I think Fogges had what 23 goals was plus 35 and and uh Mo had about 20 goals. So they were a big part of the of the team and they they they’re they’re comfortable you know when you’re when you’re playing against the other team’s best players you can’t be all in on offense. You’re thinking a little defense and they’re and they’re they’re comfortable doing that. So, um um hopefully now we can have enough pieces down there to build a fourth line and and then and and be able to roll four lines. And then obviously if you have some injuries, lots of these guys can kind of Turkot has gone up. Ar can can go up, Perry can go up a little bit. So hopefully we’re we’ve got some good depth. Still taking questions. I think we have one from the chat. Yeah, we got a question here from Brandon. And you know, I wanted to bring this up just because you mentioned about injuries. He was asking, you know, last year Drew Dowy suffering an injury was a big loss for a large part of the season and was asking were some of the moves during the off season in a response to try to create some more depth so that if there were injuries that you guys feel like you have a a bigger pool of players that can fill in? Yeah, I first off um you know, when you lose a player like a Drew Dowy, um it’s got to be it’s it’s it’s done by committee. like there’s no, you know, there was no hockey store where I go across the street and shop and say I’d like to buy, you know, buy a Drew Dowy and then bring him across the street and put him in the lineup. So, so when you lose those type of people, but they did an unbelievable job last year. Um, when Drew went down of people stepping up, uh, um, I think Spence stepped in and Brent Clark stepped in and Gabriov played a bigger role uh, and Mikey Anderson and Edmonson. So they did a great like I think they were second in the league in goals against. So um I think depth is important you know being around the league as long as it’s I think it’s important to have depth. So certainly what we were trying to do in the in the off season was sign players so that we’ve got we’ve got good depth. We got multiple kind of dimensions, different options for the coach to figure out where they all where they all where they all fit. Um, so the answer I guess is yeah, I I really think depth is important over over the long haul. We have more questions in here. Still keeping it open to some questions online and in the chat. Anybody else have any in here? The chat’s got plenty of questions. Okay, we can keep going. I figured I figured they probably have some. Um, we’ve got uh this one I thought was was really good question from David S as well. Um, speaking about negotiating when you’re negotiating a player contract, is there some key data points that you look at when you’re analyzing some comparable deals that other players from other teams have received? Are there some some data points that you maybe feel are more important than others when you’re negotiating? Well, I think when you get into a negotiation, I mean, obviously, you know, an unrestricted versus a restricted. So, you know, you got to you got to be have be in the same in the same pool. you know, you want to look probably a similar age, um similar statistics, you know, goals, assist points, um similar ice time, and and you know, these are the things as you go through a negotiation and a conversation with the agent that you you you ultimately try to find um comps that both sides kind of agree that they’re comps. Then factoring in the comps as to what’s the cap doing you know what you know for the last five years the cap was basically flat it was I think it was 815 for three years and 825 so now obviously the cap is is growing so that’s the whole you know kind of gamut of things that you got to talk about ultimately to kind of find a solution that um both sides can find a find a deal I As a followup, I’m I’m sure it’s part of the nature of the job. How much do you pay attention in your role to what other teams are doing in the league over the course of the season? Well, I mean, it’s all that made a bit that’s all I do. I mean, it’s I think if you know, my my job is I think my job is to have take take all this information. So, you talked about the you got your your pro scouting department, you got your amateur scouting department, you’ve got your player development department. um you know, you’ve you’ve got your American League team where you’re developing players and then I got to I got to work I work with the coach and you look at the stats every day when a contract comes out. You look at you look at these contracts. So ultimately um you know you know I’ll come home one day and my wife will say to me u uh you know we got married in 1980s. We married a long time. You know how’d your day go? What what did you do today? Well I don’t know if I really did anything but I talked to the coach. I talked to Luke. I talked to pro scouts. talked to this one, I talked to that, we looked at this, we took but we didn’t make any decisions. And ultimately, you got to have 180 of those days and you eventually make a decision or maybe you make the decision after 60 of those days, but but but but you’re you’re constantly gathering information day after day after day after day, going through the information so that when it’s time to make a decision, you’re as informed as you can you can be. I mean, so it’s you can’t be just focused in on your team and then and then all of a sudden pop your head up and say, “Oh, I got to figure out something that’s going on here, you know, you got to same thing, you know, as you you know, everybody right now everybody every manager is focusing on this team.” So, not really any talk with managers now. Maybe 15 games in if somebody’s struggling, um maybe they’re reaching out and making some calls. But you do know as you start to work your way towards six weeks in advance of the trade deadline, phone calls start calling. What do you know? What are you thinking? What are you thinking? Are you going to be a buyer? Are you going to be a seller? If we’re selling, we might do this, we might do that. And you’re you’re you’re you know, and then you you’re you’re telling your scouts, start to go that way to that team or go that way to that team or look at this player, look at that player. So ultimately, when you work your way towards decision- making time um at the trade deadline, you’ve got this information. Same thing for July the 1. You know, you’re looking at what, you know, who might be unrestricted free agents. How much cap space have we are we going to potentially got? We got to sign these people. Um, and what do we need? What do we think we need? And then and then so that when you get to, you know, the middle of June and you’re starting to hone in on what you want to do with your team, you’ve spent this whole period of time gathering information to eventually make decisions, right? have any more questions here with the group in attendance? Want to go back to the chat? Do we have anything back there? I know that you said there’s a lot. There’s a lot. Um, this has kind of come up a few different times, so I’m going to tie a few different things together. Uh, multiple fans talking about toughness, the importance of toughness, especially when it comes to the playoffs and the Edmonton Oilers, a team you’re obviously very familiar with and a team that’s pretty tough because uh, you were there. So, I guess tell us what it was like to try to, you know, look at this group and and maybe add a little bit of of that element as you kind of look toward the playoffs. Well, I don’t look at toughness as fighting. Now, you know, when you when you think about the Stanley Cup playoffs and you’re watching, how many fights do you really see in the Stanley Cup playoffs? So, the toughness is about winning one-on-one battles. It’s about it’s going to the hard areas. It’s going to the blue paint and over and over again throwing pucks on the offense and and boxing out and battling and and and and and clearing out and making space for your goalie inside your your your blue paint. It’s being hard on the wall. It’s getting it’s getting it’s getting pucks out and getting and getting pucks in because you know I had a conversation with an agent today from one of our young players that we’d sent back and he said to me that that the the young player it had mentioned to him that you know in junior hockey you can have some turnovers and they don’t really it’s no big deal but they understand the importance of protecting the puck. and and how you turn the puck over at the wrong and all of a sudden the other team can make you can make you pay. So, the toughness that I look at is the ability to to win one-on-one battles to to go to those hard areas to protect those those hard areas um to to to block shots. Um that to me is toughness. Now, sometime you got to get into a fight. So you you is there you have somebody on your roster that that can uh drop the gloves and and get into a fight. Uh I believe we do and but for the most part it you’re hard to play against. You know, the other team knows it’s going to be a it’s going to be a hard it’s going to be a hard night. It’s going to you’re you’re going to have to compete for every in inch of ice. I think that’s the toughness to me that eventually um leads to the the teams that’s a part of the puzzle to being the last team standing. What else do we have Jared? I know I know we got a lot. We we got we got some more. Um you know I think you know there’s a question here uh from from a fan that’s asking about Jim Hiller and I know you were supporting him right away when when you got the job. Uh basically asking hey what gives you that confidence? What have you seen from him that shows you that he’s the right guy? Well, you know, Jim took over uh in a tough situation, was it two years ago and he got the team into the Stanley Cup playoffs and then come back last year with his first really full year with the team and that team hadund finished with the six most points in the National Hockey League. I mean, there’s 32 teams. It’s there’s only five teams in the league that had more points. He had the best home winning percentage uh in the National Hockey League and it was a great series with with with with um with Edmonton. So, you know, my belief is that um those experiences that he’s been through over the last two years and he’s been a head coach in junior hockey. You know, he was an assistant coach uh in Toronto with Mike Babcock. He was an assistant coach in Detroit with Mike Babcock. I I was with him when when when we were when when he was Mike’s assistant. Um you know, he’s he’s he’s he’s just coming into his third year as being a an NHL head coach everyday basis. And I think he’s done a great job in uh um coming in and I don’t for lack of of saving the season or getting the team in and then had a great year last year. and hard to evaluate a player or a coach’s job on six games when you’re playing 82. And I and I think what I I learned in my time in in in Detroit and Edmonton, you know, you got to there’s the v and you got to believe sometimes you’re going to but but every time there’s a little bit of adversity, you can’t just be moving people out and moving people in. I don’t think that’s the answer either. You got to you got to have some stability and and and I think that that Jim has done a great job. Um, he’s got a lot of experience. He’s worked under a Lou Lamarello as a manager. Um, you know, he’s he’s worked in in in Toronto with Mike Babcock and Kyle Dubis and and those people. So, I I think he’s done a great job. And I I think he’s a real good leader for this team. I think we’ve got time for one maybe two more questions, but want to make sure that if anybody here has any more, we’ll stick with the group that’s here. Can I ask a second? Yeah, go ahead. I don’t want to. Um so so today you had announced the team announced a bunch of um roster choices, right? And you kind of whittle it down to the big group. Um and that group includes eight defensemen. Um which I think is not particularly common. Um can you walk us through your thought process on keeping those eight? What stands out about them? And um maybe if you can foresee keeping those eight throughout um all 82. Well, well, first off, we wanted eight defenseman for the last two preseason games. And then the other factor is that last night, I don’t know if you probably I was on TV here, Burrows blocked a shot and he’s he he he left the game in the in the first period and didn’t come back. So he he’s had some X-rays. He’s went for some further further tests. So not sure where I’m not sure if he’s healthy or not or um the X-rays have showed nothing, but but but we just want to be we want to be sure. So, and and and uh so, you know, we would have kept eight defenseman anyways, at least until Sunday and and then we were going to decide on Sunday. Um but now I I got to see where what’s going on with Burroughs, how how how injured he is. Um but you know, Burroughs was on the team last year, Movar was on the team last year. Um, you can either go, you know, 138 and two. Obviously, you can carry 23. So, you could go 138 and two, 14, uh, seven and two. Um, or I think the lowest you want to go is to have one extra defenseman, one extra forward. You could carry um, 137 and 222. But, so I I guess I would say to you, he those defenseman were on the team all the year last year. Wanted to get to Sunday, wanted to get through the next two games. We were going to play them both and I’m not sure if Burroughs is going to play or not. And as we got onto the plane last night when he was out, talked to talked to the doctor, talked to the trainers, and they said we had to do more tests. So, I I’m trying to assess where he’s at health-wise. Okay. Do we want to go to the chat for one more question? How about if I just ask the last question? I’d love to hear, would you? So, you just talked about cutting down the roster. You mentioned some of these young players that have been so impressive. I think a lot of the fans have gotten to watch those players whether it was in Irvine or at some of these preseason games. What were your conversations like with those with those players who you’re telling them to go back, but you were impressed, right? They they definitely had some good things, especially like a guy like Carter George. What was it like kind of telling them, “Hey, you’re not ready for the Kings yet, but we we like what you’re doing.” I I got to tell you, like um that’s my job. That’s my responsibility. you’re kind of crushing dreams a little bit and and it it’s not a lot of fun. And you know, in some cases, I think the player knows it and expects it, but there are those few every year that feel that they’ve played well enough and and I can I I I I think back to my time as a player. I’m old now. I did play a long time ago, but I was in those meetings sitting in that chair where I was told I was either being released or I was sent to the farm team. and you kind of, you know, so and and and how my dream was crushed a little bit on that on that in that meeting in that day. So, um I don’t enjoy those meetings, but it’s it’s my job. It’s my responsibility um to make those decisions and deliver bad news. Um so, I guess I I I don’t really en enjoy doing it. Um, but but in some cases I think they they know what’s what’s coming and I I like to try to give them some things that I think that I’ve seen that I that they that they need to add to their game or change or do their game to to to take the next step to become NHL. Maybe in some cases it’s just you got they got to go back and and you know if you got a young defenseman is he better off being the seventh defenseman in the National Hockey League and just being a healthy scratch healthy or is he better off to go back to the American League when you’re 21 or 22 years old and playing you know 25 minutes a night 20 and being on the power play and being on the power penalty kill and being on the ice in the important late in the first period and late in the game in those important situations. I think from a development it’s better there. So, um, so that that’s that’s my calls, but but but I do know in some of those meetings last night and you’re you’re crushing dreams a little bit and and um I I don’t enjoy that at all because like I said, I I I sat in that chair and I I know what it feels like. So, but but it’s my responsibility. Well, Ken, it’s always great to get your perspective. Two more preseason games left and then opening. I can’t wait. Yeah. Can’t wait to get going here. Tomorrow night we go to Utah and then then and then Saturday I’m anxious to get I we haven’t been at Crypto. We’ve got some digs there. I think Luke and they’ve done a little bit of a rena on the locker room. So I’m excited to get in there and between the home crowd against the arrival the Ducks and then we got to make some decisions on Sunday and um most of the decision but but the odd decision then kind of get the the coaches thinking as to uh what the roster looks like on opening night and and here we go. Oh, I mean, right off the bat, Colorado, Vegas, and and an 82 game grind to uh to try to get into the playoffs. Well, Ken, thank you so much. Appreciate your perspective. Always a blast. And thanks for everyone joining us here and and online. And we’ll see you guys at the last couple of games and then on opening night. Thanks for coming. Look forward to seeing

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