Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Regarding The Coaching Changes This Week

11/10/2018 at 1:34pm EST

from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe,

John Stevens and Joel Quenneville, the latter of whom coached the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup championships (2010, ’13, and ’15), were given the heave-ho this past week from behind their respective benches.

A direct connection? Nothing beyond the fact that both Stevens’s Kings and Quenneville’s Blackhawks opened with an underwhelming first month, dealing with rosters their front offices failed to upgrade substantially, or even adequately, over the summer.

It’s that latter point that best connects them. The goods just weren’t there, and the next general manager who volunteers to beat the coach to the door will be the first GM to volunteer to beat the coach to the door.

The Kings figured Ilya Kovalchuk, for whom they outbid (three years, $18.75 million) the Bruins and others in the offseason, would be the fix for an aging core to get immediately back in the hunt. Curious decision by team bosses Rob Blake and Luc Robitaille, given that most of the league is emphasizing youth and speed in NHL 2018-19, and the 35-year-old Kovalchuk, just back from the Triple A KHL, is 6-8 years beyond his prime.

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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