The Los Angeles Kings officially introduced former Edmonton Oilers manager Ken Holland as their new general manager on Thursday, replacing Rob Blake.

"He knows the path of what it takes to get to the championship, and that's a hard thing to do and that's a hard thing to learn," President Luc Robitaille said at Thursday's introduction.

Holland joins the Kings as the fifth-winningest general manager in NHL history. The Hall of Fame hockey executive spent the past year out of the NHL after leaving the Oilers in June 2024. Before that, he was general manager of the Detroit Red Wings for 22 years and won four Stanley Cup championships during his tenure there.

Holland replaces Rob Blake, who left the Kings by mutual decision earlier this month after eight seasons. Los Angeles lost to the Oilers in the first round in each of their four straight playoff appearances, from 2022 to 2025.

"it was very important to get the right person to guide this franchise to where we want to be, which is not about beating one team, winning one round, it's about winning four rounds,"  Robitaille said. He said Holland mirrored his vision for the franchise, players, coaching staff, and the entire organization.

A 2020 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Holland is a former goaltender who played four NHL games with Detroit and Hartford Whalers. As a highly respected and successful hockey executive, he served in several different roles within the organization prior to being named general manager, including assistant general manager, amateur scouting director, and western conference scout.

The Vernon, BC native has served on several management staffs for Hockey Canada, winning gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Winter Games and at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

"The game is very important to me. I did enjoy one stress-free year but I'm excited about being back in the saddle," Holland said.

"I've kind of been through this before when I went to Edmonton in 2019. I know what's got to be done. A tweak here, a trade there, a free-agent signing. I was in Detroit for 22 years, in Edmonton for five and now I'm diving back into the pressure cooker."