Tod McLlellan is in the final year of his contract.

[Surf Nutz]

He has yet to be extended and there is no word of negotiations.

It is interesting situation to watch, that seemingly will evolve with the Kings season.

ADDENDUM: I am not asking for what "SHOULD HAPPEN."

I am asking you to predict now, how things will unfold and how that effects Tod McLLelan getting a new contract as the LA Kings Head Coach.

 

[Telos]

Like everything with this team, it will matter on results. If the Kings smack into another first-round exit or fail to make the playoffs then I think Todd is as good as gone. If they go deep, then I could see him being extended a few more seasons.

 

[Sol]

If the Kings don’t get to the second round then he SHOULD be done for. He should have already been fired so the fact he’s still coaching the Kings means Blake might be in love.

 

[Herby]

If the Kings don’t get to the second round then he SHOULD be done for. He should have already been fired so the fact he’s still coaching the Kings means Blake might be in love.

Blake getting another HC hire after 7 seasons without a playoff win would be insanity. I think even the most pro-Blake people on this forum would agree that it’s do or die for Blake this season. They are very like attached at the hip.

Btw, this site should be embarrassed with how awful it is to try and make a post on mobile. I feel like I’m visiting a warez site circa 1998 with these ridiculous ads they have running here.

 

[KopitarGOAT420]

Yeah it seems like there's a pretty solid consensus on this.

If the Kings lose in the first round or fail to make the playoffs, there's no way he should return as coach (and if he does we riot).

If the Kings extend him before this season is over we should also riot.

It's not like Todd McLellan is a hot commodity that other teams are going to be jumping to sign if the Kings don't extend him. There might be some interest from other teams if he's available at some point... But there realllllly should be no rush to extend this man.

I don't really care if this team wins the President's trophy or has a historic regular season - Todd's track record in the playoffs is poor and if that continues this year, regular season should have no weight on his job status.

 

[johnjm22]

TMac is one of the highest paid coaches in the league. Usually when you sign an extension you're not taking a pay cut. Usually you're getting a raise.

Money might factor into this IMO.

If LA has a nice season, Todd will be in a good position to negotiate for his next job. On his resume he can show he inherited a bottom feeder and steadily improved them into a contender.

I do think McClellan is well regarded around the league.

 

[kingsboy11]

He shouldn't be resigned at any point during the season. Gotta be some accountability if we don't make it out of the 1st round again.

 

[Sol]

TMac is one of the highest paid coaches in the league. Usually when you sign an extension you're not taking a pay cut. Usually you're getting a raise.

Money might factor into this IMO.

If LA has a nice season, Todd will be in a good position to negotiate for his next job. On his resume he can show he inherited a bottom feeder and steadily improved them into a contender.

I do think McClellan is well regarded around the league.

Amongst who exactly ? Most fans in the league see him as a choker, a blight in Edmonton that once he left a video coach in Jay Woodcroft improved the team, and now on the Kings a coach who can’t beat Jay Woodcroft. And now accumulatively a coach who cannot perform and adapt under the playoff pressure.

The only negotiating power he will gain is by getting into round 2. Nothing else. He’s as good as gone if the Kings get eliminated round 1 again.

He gets absolutely outcoached.

Playing the neutral zone trap against the best forwards in the NHL. Allowing the oilers to build up speed from the D Zone and cut through the team. High IQ coach indeed. Cherry on top? Durzi and Edler out in high stakes moments in the playoffs. Scratching Kaliyev for MacEwen too.

 

[Ollie Weeks]

I have a feeling it’ll be the standard “receives multi-year extension, fired next year” storyline if and when the Kings have no significant success.

 

[kingsboy11]

Amongst who exactly ? Most fans in the league see him as a choker, a blight in Edmonton that once he left a video coach in Jay Woodcroft improved the team, and now on the Kings a coach who can’t beat Jay Woodcroft. And now accumulatively a coach who cannot perform and adapt under the playoff pressure.

The only negotiating power he will gain is by getting into round 2. Nothing else. He’s as good as gone if the Kings get eliminated round 1 again.

He gets absolutely outcoached.

Playing the neutral zone trap against the best forwards in the NHL. Allowing the oilers to build up speed from the D Zone and cut through the team. High IQ coach indeed. Cherry on top? Durzi and Edler out in high stakes moments in the playoffs. Scratching Kaliyev for MacEwen too.

I'm not going to defend him as a coach because it speaks for itself. But if a guy Laviolette continues get hired despite his record, then McLellan will keep getting jobs too, unless we totally flame out this year.

 

[FSL KINGS]

It would be shocking if Todd wasn't extended. Aren't they all besties at the top?

 

[Herby]

Yeah it seems like there's a pretty solid consensus on this.

If the Kings lose in the first round or fail to make the playoffs, there's no way he should return as coach (and if he does we riot).

Blake should be fired too if that happens, correct?

Or does Blake get an 8th season and another HC?

 

[johnjm22]

Amongst who exactly ? Most fans in the league see him as a choker, a blight in Edmonton that once he left a video coach in Jay Woodcroft improved the team, and now on the Kings a coach who can’t beat Jay Woodcroft. And now accumulatively a coach who cannot perform and adapt under the playoff pressure.

The only negotiating power he will gain is by getting into round 2. Nothing else. He’s as good as gone if the Kings get eliminated round 1 again.

He gets absolutely outcoached.

Playing the neutral zone trap against the best forwards in the NHL. Allowing the oilers to build up speed from the D Zone and cut through the team. High IQ coach indeed. Cherry on top? Durzi and Edler out in high stakes moments in the playoffs. Scratching Kaliyev for MacEwen too.

Just because YOU don't like him, and fans complain about him (almost every fanbase complains about their coach) doesn't mean he isn't well regarded in the league.

There's a reason he's been a head coach for so long, and is well compensated.

Kings coach Todd McLellan snubbed in NHL's Jack Adams Award race

Todd McLellan surprisingly isn't even a finalist for the Jack Adams Award.

www.yahoo.com

McLellan named Jack Adams finalist

This evening, Oilers head coach Todd McLellan was named a finalist for...

oilersnation.com

 

[King'sPawn]

If it's another first-round exit or worse, there should be wholesale organizational changes.

If he gets by the first round, sure, give him more time.

 

[FlameChampion]

I think hes a good regular season coach.

But I dont think you guys will get over the hump with him behind the bench. I think the Kings have much better offensive pieces that McLellan doesnt know how to use (in the playoffs). Just my 2 cents.

 

[KopitarGOAT420]

Blake should be fired too if that happens, correct?

Or does Blake get an 8th season and another HC?

Correct, I agree Herby. Fire Blake for sure if McLellan is extended without the VERY least winning around. I'd honestly more-so say WCF should be the standard.

 

[KopitarGOAT420]

He has a career playoff record of 40W, 42L in 82 games exactly... Thats so aggressively mid. He's definitely not the worst coach in the world or anything but come on now... The goal for the Kings should obviously be to win championships and it should be win now or 'see ya later thanks for coming' for the guy100%. If he's not going to be the guy (which it really seems like he's not unfortunately) then give someone else a shot in 24/25 and see what happens.

This team is good enough to go on a run. Goaltending is a concern, sure.. But you can try to address that at the deadline if needed) and the Kings are insanely deep down the middle and should have pretty great wingers (Kempe, Fiala, Arvidsson in particular). Say what you want about the Dubois trade and the fact that we may have given up too much and spent too much... Having him as a 2C with Anze Kopitar (the greatest LA King of all time without question) as 1C - And then Philly freakin Danault as your 3rd line center??? Thats seriously incredible. Lizotte is also very solid in that 4th line energy role. This forward group is DEEP and just on that alone, this team is going to win some games.

And I'm not gonna lie I'm really liking the way the defense is lining up and think there's a lot of options there for the 3rd pairing (assuming no mix ups in the expected top 4) that could be realllllly interesting.

Just look at Copley's record last year and compare that with his save %. It's insane. The guy had a .903 save and a 24-6-3 record. I love Copley and he's the man for stepping up but let's be real - The Kings just need average goaltending and again.. This team is going to be able to win some games (assuming health and all that good stuff of course).

Definitely there could be ssome more long term concerns for the future and as we've said, the playoffs are whats really going to matter - But I'm excited to watch this team. Give them average to above average goaltending and they'll be a top 5 or so in the league easily. Should be a fun season.

 

[Herby]

Say what you want about TM, and I don't agree with a lot of what he does, but him guiding the 2022 Kings to the playoffs with the lineup they were icing, especially on D, was pretty remarkable. He deserves as much credit for that season as anyone in the organization.

But yes, both the coach and the GM (and honestly Luc as well) should under no circumstances survive if this team doesn't win at least 6 playoff games this year. A first round loss should be a no-brainer gutting of the management and staff. You can't trade two 1st round picks, two former 1st round picks, Iafallo and Brock Faber (who is arguably the best asset moved in any of the deals) and not win a playoff round in successive seasons.

I loved Luc as a player, I had his poster on my wall and his jersey, him getting traded to the Penguins a couple of weeks after I moved to Pittsburgh as a kid really helped my psyche. But him being in the position he is in, as a former player with very little education, and just bringing in all his buddies to key spots has not been optimal for this franchise. It just seems he is just in way over his head as an executive.

If changes do have to be made the Kings should bring in a President and a GM from outside the organization and let them start fresh like they did in 2006.

 

[dman3474]

There is still hope

#FireTodd

 

[johnjm22]

He has a career playoff record of 40W, 42L in 82 games exactly... Thats so aggressively mid.

It's the playoffs. So by its nature not many coaches are going to have high winning %'s in the modern era.

Sutter: 94W, 88L (what was it before 2012?)
Tortorella: 54W, 64L
Trotz: 83W, 79L
Hitchcock: 86W, 82L
Lemaire: 61W, 56L

I could go on. These are all SC winning coaches.

There's a few outliers like Bowmen who was winning cups in a less competitive era, or Cooper who's walked in to an idyllic situation.

 

[Sol]

I think there’s a lot of short term memory loss for some of you guys. The defense was atrocious until what like January? That has to do with Todd or Copley? How do we quickly forget about some of the most egregious errors of Todd? Edler Durzi. Awful deployments. Kaliyev shelving? The worst game plan against Edmonton.

“The defense” was awful. Kings were heavily minus in goal differential for most of the season and barely broken into plus in the last 6 weeks.

The Kings went far due to the offensive prowess of the team and a piss poor division. Let’s stop pretending that Todd put on a master class. The playoffs show his flaws greatly. He’s a below average coach that got carried off the back of the offense. Nothing more, nothing less. I suggest to anyone praising Todd to go rewatch the first 3-4 months.

 

[BigBrown]

Todd will probably get an extension this fall, maybe even before the season starts.

 

[lumbergh]

He has a career playoff record of 40W, 42L in 82 games exactly... Thats so aggressively mid. He's definitely not the worst coach in the world or anything but come on now... The goal for the Kings should obviously be to win championships and it should be win now or 'see ya later thanks for coming' for the guy100%. If he's not going to be the guy (which it really seems like he's not unfortunately) then give someone else a shot in 24/25 and see what happens.

This team is good enough to go on a run. Goaltending is a concern, sure.. But you can try to address that at the deadline if needed) and the Kings are insanely deep down the middle and should have pretty great wingers (Kempe, Fiala, Arvidsson in particular). Say what you want about the Dubois trade and the fact that we may have given up too much and spent too much... Having him as a 2C with Anze Kopitar (the greatest LA King of all time without question) as 1C - And then Philly freakin Danault as your 3rd line center??? Thats seriously incredible. Lizotte is also very solid in that 4th line energy role. This forward group is DEEP and just on that alone, this team is going to win some games.

And I'm not gonna lie I'm really liking the way the defense is lining up and think there's a lot of options there for the 3rd pairing (assuming no mix ups in the expected top 4) that could be realllllly interesting.

Just look at Copley's record last year and compare that with his save %. It's insane. The guy had a .903 save and a 24-6-3 record. I love Copley and he's the man for stepping up but let's be real - The Kings just need average goaltending and again.. This team is going to be able to win some games (assuming health and all that good stuff of course).

Definitely there could be ssome more long term concerns for the future and as we've said, the playoffs are whats really going to matter - But I'm excited to watch this team. Give them average to above average goaltending and they'll be a top 5 or so in the league easily. Should be a fun season.

According to NHL.com, TMc has a playoff record of 42-46 in 88 games, or 47.7% winning percentage. Pretty much on par with Paul Maurice (47.8%) John Tortorella* (46.7%) and Craig Berube* (46.6%) amongst active coaches. (* = Cup winners). McLellan has coached in 9 playoff seasons, so his average playoff run is 9.8 games. We all know he has underperformed the last two postseasons; he's got to overperform this season.

Amongst active coaches, there are all of 2 who have a winning percentage north of 55% (Jared Bednar and Jon Cooper), each of which have won at least one Cup. Then there's just a bunch of meh playoff coaches bunched up in the middle.

NHL Records

records.nhl.com

I'm with you on everything else.

 

[Fishhead]

My biggest fear with coaching/GM changes is they will be replaced by someone worse.

 

[Kurrilino]

Of course he gets a new contract, even Kopitar got 2 more years.
As long as we reach the playoff, everything is fine.

I don't even think winning the cup is somehow a remote option for our brass anymore.
Reach playoff, make a couple more millions for Uncle Phil and we are good.