Ken Holland Talks Kings Draft Plans, Trade Calls, and Kopitar’s Future

Ken Holland (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Ken Holland’s life has been a whirlwind since he was hired as the new Los Angeles Kings general manager on May 14, but Holland couldn’t be happier to be this busy again.

Holland took the time with RG Media to look back on his first month in his new position and touched on a variety of topics, including free agent updates, the NHL trade market heading into the NHL Draft in Los Angeles (June 27–28), and potentially extending Kings captain Anze Kopitar.

What’s it been like since becoming the Kings’ new general manager?

Holland: “Hectic! The good thing for me, though, is that I went through this in 2019 with Edmonton on May 7, so pretty close. So, first off, getting to know people is the number one thing. You have your amateur and pro scouting meetings, followed by the NHL Combine. I’m trying to work the phones, talking to other general managers. If there’s going to be any trades, it’s usually leading into and at NHL Draft week. So, I’ve been reaching out to everyone to see what’s happening.

I’m also talking to agents right now to see where we’re at with our guys, and obviously talking to [Vladislav] Gavrikov’s agent (Pat Brisson) and also [Andrei] Kuzmenko and his agent (Craig Oster) about their players and what we’d like to do in the offseason. And now the NHL Draft and free agency are coming up, and a few days later, we have our development camp.”

How did that help you in terms of understanding where everyone is at and getting on the same page heading into the draft?

Holland: “The good thing was that when I was hired, they still had not had their end-of-the-year amateur scouting meetings. They did that the last week of May. So, I was in L.A. with everybody for four days. I sat in the amateur meetings, watched them go through their process in putting their list together. Then, a week later, I went to Buffalo and we had our organizational pro scout meetings the first couple of days in Buffalo, and then I was there for three days with the amateurs. I attended some of the interviews with players—we don’t have a second-round pick at this time—but sat in with players who are possibilities for our first-round pick. I also used the time in Buffalo to meet face-to-face with some general managers and face-to-face with some agents.

So, it’s been busy. Obviously, I went through a year where the phone hardly rang, and now it’s full-on.

This is the time of year when I always say from the end of the season, or whenever your season’s over—whether you go to the finals or you miss the playoffs—that’s the busiest time of the year for the general manager. If your team misses the playoffs, you might watch your team in the Calder Cup Playoffs or you’re going to go to the U18 Tournament, and everybody’s got year-end amateur meetings and pro meetings; you go to the combine and you’re working the phones. So from when I took over in mid-May to two weeks into July, this is the time when you remake your team. Like I said, lucky for me, I went through this in Edmonton and I was ready to rock and roll when Luc Robitaille and Mr. Anschutz gave me this opportunity.”

Has there been a common thread in terms of the hockey ops’ vision and what this team’s identity needs to be?

Holland: “So, I was involved with Detroit for quite a long time. Even though I became general manager in ’87, I was there in ’85. So you evolve into what you’re trying to build. I went to Edmonton, and the things that are important to me in team building, we kind of went through. … I think … look, you can’t just overhaul everything right away. These organizations are like tankers in the ocean; they’re not like speedboats. You can’t just motor around and make a 180 and head in the other direction, you gotta slowly pivot based on the direction of whoever is at the wheel, and that’s the manager. I will say this: Rob Blake and his people have done a wonderful job of going through a rebuild phase, where they still made the playoffs every year. They haven’t been able to win a round, but that’s the next goal. But they’re certainly a playoff team. They had 105 points last year, they’ve got lots of good players, and it’s a well-built team. The coach, Jim Hiller, was an assistant, and now he’s the head coach.

So, I’m coming in and I’m trying to get to know everybody and get an understanding of what guys like Mark Yanetti are thinking with the amateurs. Having philosophical conversations with him. We’ve got the 24th pick in the draft. Do we use it or do we trade it? I don’t know. You can’t read into the future, but we gotta be ready for anything. That’s why I brought one person with me, Tyler Wright. He’s the guy who’s been with me in Detroit and he was with me in Edmonton. He knows how I think and what I like, and he’s also talking to the other guys. So all of this is an ongoing process, and it will likely stay that way for a while. You work together on a vision and then work to get to that point.”

Does the success of the Florida Panthers’ style and system impact his and other general managers’ roster building?

Holland: “I would say yes. The success of whoever wins has an impact on other teams’ decision-making to some degree because it wins. Right now, the only two teams playing are Edmonton and Florida. But during the season, there are games every night, and there are things going on. But as you work your way through April, May, and June, you see things and there’s a reason why these teams are successful. Maybe it’s the size; maybe it’s the physicality; maybe it’s the veteran presence, or you’ve got young legs or both. You forecheck hard, or you play well in the neutral zone.

We’ve already seen one trade with the Ducks and the Rangers go down. Will the NHL Draft being decentralized spark an earlier wave of trades before NHL Draft week?

Holland: “I still think most of it will go down draft week, even though it’s decentralized. There’s still a process to go through right now. For example, if you’ve got an unrestricted free agent, most teams are probably still talking to their unrestricted free agents. You get to a point—probably late June—where everybody is facing a deadline, and deadlines always force people to make decisions. So what’s the deadline for free agency? July 1 is the deadline. If you want to make a trade, usually trades happen leading into or at the NHL Entry Draft, and even coming out right before July 1. Why? Because you want to know exactly what you want to and can do on July 1.

Do I think more trades can happen in advance of that period? Yes, if there’s a perfect fit. 

I haven’t talked to all 31 managers, but I’ve probably talked to 27 or 28 since some teams were and are still playing. So when something’s going on elsewhere, it’s not really a surprise. It’s a manager’s job to work the phone, let everybody know what they’re thinking, and then somebody comes back and there’s a fit. That can happen. But the perfect fit doesn’t happen that often, and that’s why you have to go through a process. So I think for most teams that process is still going, and it will culminate next week. But there still could be more before that.”

Have there been any real discussions yet to extend Anze Kopitar past next season?

Holland: “Anze was still in town when I was announced as GM, so I spoke to him then, but not about that—just about the team. I know he’s going into the last year of his contract, and I think more so when he comes back for training camp, I’ll start talking to Pat Brisson (Kopitar’s agent). Obviously, I’m hoping he wants to stay and wants to play longer. I didn’t think it was appropriate to be announced one day and then start asking him about that. He’s one of the greatest players in the history of this franchise and still has an amazing impact here on and off the ice. So, hopefully we as a team can build something here, have a great season, and he wants to continue to be part of it.”