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If the NHL playoffs were to begin tonight, the Kings would be in with a shout.
At the time of writing, the Los Angeles outfit is sitting in 3rd place in the Pacific Division… although things haven't necessarily been going well in recent weeks.
The Kings are 4-3-3 in their last ten games, which is far from conclusive…
And the club's recent failure is obviously starting to worry them. Because, according to Cam Robinson (Elite Prospects), the Kings have been in “advanced discussions” to bring Peter DeBoer behind the bench.
Ultimately, this means that Jim Hiller (the Kings' current head coach) is living on borrowed time. For there to be advanced discussions with DeBoer, an experienced coach with a proven track record and reputation around the league, there must be something going on somewhere…
While not finalized, hearing that Peter DeBoer and the LAK have had advanced discussions.
I'm told DeBoer is quite happy at the moment, so a deal would seemingly need to be substantial for him to sign on.
– Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) December 5, 2025
The transaction market is dead right now, and clubs have to find other ways to stir the pot.
The Canadiens, for example… have been active in asking Samuel Blais to the waivers and offering Alexandre Texier a contract. The Kings could therefore change things behind the bench to have a similar effect on the group and on the ice.
Because that's what it's all about: right now, the Kings are almost at a crossroads. This is probably their last chance to win the Stanley Cup for a while, since club captain Anze Kopitar is in his last NHL season… and because the group in Los Angeles is getting very old .
Going all-in with Peter DeBoer, even if it didn't end well for him in Vegas and Dallas… might make sense. Still, we're talking about a coach who has made it to the Stanley Cup Finals twice and the Western Conference Finals six times since the 2019-2020 season.
That's no mean feat. We know that Ken Holland has to find a way to beat the Oilers in the playoffs, and it makes you wonder if Peter DeBoer will be the man for the job.
We'll have the answer in due course, I imagine.
Overtime
– The Ducks have such a great club.
Ducks morning skate lines 12/5 – Granlund back
Kreider-Carlsson-Terry
Gauthier-McTavish-Sennecke
Vatrano-Granlund-Strome
Johnston-Poehling-Killorn
(Harkins, Nesterenko)LaCombe-Trouba
Zellweger-Gudas
Mintyukov-Helleson
(Moore)Husso-Buteyets@SportingTrib | #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/gbO3nZFnWd
– Zach Cavanagh (@ZachCav) December 5, 2025
– With good reason.
Xavier Villeneuve is hoping to be selected to @HockeyCanada‘s 2026 #WorldJuniors roster.
Full coverage of the 2026 World Junior Championship begins December 26 on NHL Network. pic.twitter.com/0AoGDfbzML
– NHL Media (@NHLMedia) December 5, 2025
– Reminder: there are five NHL games tonight.
Macklin Celebrini and Jason Robertson, who are both near the top in NHL scoring, go head-to-head as part of a five-game Friday. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/xThzZxwgCn
– NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) December 5, 2025
– It's going to be a good game.
The end of a long drought for the Colts in Jacksonville?https://t.co/XVef3H3omh
– RDS (@RDSca) December 5, 2025
