Breaking: Kings hire their biggest rival's former head coach to lead the way!

At the end of the season, it was clear for the Los Angeles Kings that they weren't bringing back interim coach Willie Desjardins next year.  He took over after Los Angeles dismissed John Stevens a couple of weeks before the Edmonton Oilers made a coaching change themselves. 

The Oilers fired Todd McLellan and replaced him with Ken Hitchcock back in November. McLellan is still under contract for the rest of this season and 2019-20 at $3 million per campaign, but it didn't stop the Kings from asking permission to speak with the veteran head coach. 

And it seems like the conversation between the team and McLellan went so well that he is expected to be named the Kings' next head coach for the upcoming seasons. According to Kings insider Dennis Bernstein, the Kings are getting ready to announce a five-year-deal with McLellan. 

Before Edmonton, McLellan was an assistant under Mike Babcock with the Detroit Red Wings and coached for seven seasons in San Jose with the Sharks, arguably the Kings' biggest rival. Kings general manager Rob Blake played for McLellan at the end of Blake’s Hall of Fame career, from 2008 to 2010.

When Blake met with media at the end of the season a few days ago, he was quick to point out to the Los Angeles Times what he is looking for in his new coach: "someone who will implement structure and a system, and motivate a veteran group that has become complacent."

It seems like he is the perfect man for the job in LA. 

The Buffalo Sabres were also reportedly looking into the possibility of hiring McLellan as their new bench boss. But it looks like the Kings have won that race.