Kings clean house: GM, coaching staff gone
President and general manager Dave Taylor was among those dismissed by the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday during a major housecleaning.
The moves came after the Kings stumbled down the stretch of the season and failed to make the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
The entire coaching staff, including interim head coach John Torchetti, will not have their contracts renewed. But Torchetti, who took over when Andy Murray was fired last month, was told he can interview for the job when the new president and GM is named.
Kevin Gilmore, assistant GM, and Bill O’Flaherty, director of player personnel, also were relieved of their duties.
Even Tim Leiweke said he is stepping aside as CEO to allow the incoming president/GM to have full control of the hockey operations, although Leiweke will remain the team’s governor.
“Three seasons in row, we didn’t make the playoffs; one playoff (series) win in 10 years; going through a coaching change and having dissension in the locker room, was very difficult for us to deal with,” Leiweke said during a news conference at the team’s El Segundo, Calif., training facility.
On the ice
Sabres 4, Hurricanes 0: At Raleigh, N.C., Chris Drury scored to reach 30 goals for the first time in his NHL career and Buffalo beat Carolina to drop the Hurricanes out of the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Panthers 2, Thrashers 1: At Sunrise, Fla., Mike Van Ryn’s overtime goal, his second score of the game, lifted Florida past Atlanta.
Senators 5, Rangers 1: At New York, Dany Heatley scored his 50th goal in the third period to help Ottawa to a victory over New York that gave the Senators the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Blue Jackets 5, Stars 4 (OT): At Columbus, Ohio, Sergei Fedorov’s one-timer 35 seconds into overtime gave Columbus a victory over Dallas.
Maple Leafs 5, Penguins 3: At Toronto, Mats Sundin scored two goals and added two assists to finish his best offensive season since 2002, and Toronto completed its disappointing campaign with a win over Pittsburgh.
Flyers 4, Islanders 1: At Uniondale, N.Y., Jeff Carter helped Philadelphia earn the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, beating Garth Snow on a breakaway with 7:22 left in a victory over New York.
Capitals 4, Lightning 1: At Tampa, Fla., Jeff Halpern scored twice and goalie Brent Johnson stopped 42 shots, leading Washington to a victory over playoff-bound Tampa Bay.
Devils 4, Canadiens 3: At Montreal, Jamie Langenbrunner capped a third-period comeback that earned New Jersey the Atlantic Division title with its 11th straight victory.
Predators 6, Red Wings 3: At Nashville, Tenn., Paul Kariya’s three goals counted for his ninth career hat trick, and Nashville snapped Detroit’s 20-game points streak.
Blackhawks 3, Blues 2 (OT): At Chicago, Kyle Calder scored at 3:20 of overtime to give Chicago a win over St. Louis as two of the NHL’s worst teams concluded their seasons.