Report: Kings add legendary Hall of Famer to coaching staff

According to a report from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Los Angeles Kings have added former NHLer Adam Oates as a coaching consultant. 

In his latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, Friedman indicates that the Kings hoped to add Oates to their full-time staff, but instead had to settle on using him as a consultant.

Check it out:

At some point during the past few days, a couple of sources indicated GM Rob Blake talked with Adam Oates. The latter did not respond to text messages, while the former said Oates will not be joining the Kings as a coach, but as a consultant. It’s clear the organization wants to make philosophical changes to the way it plays.

The biggest challenge for Desjardins is that Western teams don’t have a ton of practice time, and the Kings are back in action Tuesday night against the arch-rival Ducks. He says he’ll likely use the same combinations that beat Columbus on Saturday, and will tweak things as they go along. “I told the players that it is worth putting in the time to change. These players are winners, and if they learn to accept losing, they are going to lose more. Don’t accept it.”

Oates, of course, had a brief coaching career in the NHL as a head coach with the Washington Capitals and was an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils. Since leaving his position with the Devils in 2015, Oates has established himself as the top skills development coach in all of hockey. The Hall of Famer of 1337 career NHL games and 1420 NHL points is in HIGH demand from some of the top players in the NHL.