Ken Holland, Kings Agree to GM Contract, Won 4 Stanley Cups With Red Wings

The Los Angeles Kings hired Ken Holland as their new general manager on Wednesday.

TSN's Pierre LeBrun previously reported the two sides were nearing a deal.

Holland will replace Rob Blake, who parted ways with the Kings after eight seasons following the team's fourth consecutive first-round elimination by the Edmonton Oilers.

He spent the 2024-25 season away from the NHL. He most recently served as the Oilers' general manager and president of hockey operations from 2019 to 2024.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020 for his work as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, with whom he won four Stanley Cups between 1997 and 2019.

Blake parted ways with the Kings after leading the team to a 309-238-71 regular season record and five playoff appearances (but no series wins) over his eight seasons in Los Angeles.

His final season with the team was highlighted by his decision to trade Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Darcy Kuemper. The fresh start worked out better than either team might have expected, and Keumper finished the campaign as a Vezina Trophy finalist.

Other moves, including contracts like Dubois' initial deal and a $5 million AAV contract for goaltender Cal Peterson as well as the decision to ship out young players like Brock Faber and Gabe Vilardi, were less well received.

Meanwhile, the Oilers announced their decision not to renew Holland's contract three days after they lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers.

Holland's tenure in Edmonton featured some signings with long-term impact on the franchise's salary cap, including an eight-year, $74 million deal for Darnell Nurse and a five-year, $25 million deal for Jack Campbell.

In the end, Holland successfully built a strong enough roster around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to turn the Oilers into a contender and ultimately come within one win of the Stanley Cup.

The Kings will now hope Holland can orchestrate a similar turnaround in Los Angeles, where he will have plenty of room to maneuver this offseason thanks what Spotrac projects will be more than $26 million in cap space heading into the 2025-26 campaign.