Kings Coaching Search Opens With D.J. Smith as Candidate — And a Franchise Identity Crisis Underneath

As ESPN reported, interim head coach D.J. Smith is in the mix for the Kings' permanent job after GM Ken Holland launches his search this month. Smith inherited a 24-21-14 team on March 1, stabilized it enough to claw into the final Western Conference wild-card slot, and watched it get swept in four games by Colorado. Holland is targeting five to eight candidates — a blend of experienced coaches, assistants, and fresh faces — and wants a decision made quickly. Smith's late-season rally earns him a seat at the table, but nothing more.

The more consequential news out of Los Angeles isn't the coaching carousel — it's Holland's frank admission that the Kings' defensive identity has become a ceiling, not a foundation. LA scored only 225 goals this season, fourth-worst in the NHL and 25 fewer than a year ago. They ranked 28th on the power play and, inexplicably, dead last in penalty killing — a team that built two Stanley Cups on special teams discipline now bleeding on both sides of the man-advantage ledger. Holland put it plainly: "Are we too defensive-minded? I've got to sort that out." That's a general manager questioning the core philosophy of his own roster construction.

The Anze Kopitar retirement reshapes everything structurally. The Kings lose their highest-scoring forward in franchise history, a dominant faceoff center, and the dressing room's moral anchor. Holland acknowledged no single player can absorb that void. The franchise's answer is Quinton Byfield — the former No. 2 overall pick who has developed into a reliable two-way center — alongside Kevin Fiala (recovering from a broken leg), Artemi Panarin, Adrian Kempe, Alex Laferriere, and defenseman Brandt Clarke. That's a legitimate top-six, but it's a group that has consistently underperformed offensive expectations in a system built to suppress it.

For bettors, the coaching hire is the key variable heading into next season. If Holland lands someone willing to push pace, open the neutral zone, and actually deploy Panarin and Byfield as offensive weapons rather than defensive responsibilities, LA's team total and individual shot props shift materially. Byfield specifically has the skating and skill to generate 5-plus shots per game in a system that encourages attack from the back end — his shots-on-goal prop has been consistently suppressed by LA's trapping tendencies. Laferriere, meanwhile, is the kind of high-danger finisher who benefits most from a coach who generates cycle offense and shot volume. Watch his goals and shots props closely once the coaching hire is announced.

Panarin's situation is its own market signal. A forward of his caliber — acquired precisely for his offensive output — posted muted numbers after arriving in LA because the system doesn't create the space he thrives in. If the new coach recalibrates even partially toward offensive zone time and power-play creativity, Panarin's points and power-play props move in a favorable direction. Conversely, if Smith gets the permanent job and maintains structural continuity, fade the Kings' team totals early next season. This is still a team that allowed itself to finish 29th in goals scored with Panarin in the lineup. Personnel alone won't fix that — schematic change will.