Kings hire Todd McLellan as head coach

The Los Angeles Kings hired Todd McLellan to be their next head coach, the team announced Tuesday.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports the deal is for five years and is worth around $25 million depending on bonuses.

McLellan began the 2018-19 season as bench boss of the Edmonton Oilers but was relieved of his duties on Nov. 20 after the team got off to a 9-10-1 record.

The 51-year-old enjoyed his greatest success in San Jose, coaching the Sharks to the playoffs in six of his seven seasons with the club, including back-to-back conference final appearances in 2010 and 2011.

McLellan has international experience on his resume as well, coaching the Canadian national team to a perfect 10-0 record and a gold medal at the 2015 World Championship.

The Kings fired John Stevens as head coach on Nov. 4 after a 4-8-1 start to the 2018-19 campaign and have had Willie Desjardins fill the role on an interim basis since.

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