LA Kings fans sound off amid mounting frustration as the team’s playoff hopes slip away. Is Coach Jim Hiller on borrowed time, and could Quinton Byfield’s struggles force a big trade? Host Eddie Garcia gathers passionate listener feedback after tough losses to the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers—two games exposing major defensive lapses, lack of grit, and growing doubts about the roster’s direction. Hot topics include Andrey Kuzmenko’s injury setback, the debate over moving Byfield versus waiting for his breakout, and the possibility of blockbuster additions like Robert Thomas or Nick Schmaltz. Eddie Garcia weighs potential coaching changes, Panarin’s impact, and whether LA should stand pat or gear up for a reset with aging stars like Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. Can the Kings avoid sliding further into mediocrity, or is a full rebuild inevitable? Fans demand answers in this must-listen edition of Locked On LA Kings.
00:00 Fan Feedback & Kings FrustrationsShow intro, Eddie Garcia sets up the episode as a fan feedback edition, addresses season disappointment, coaching frustrations, Kings’ head coach Jim Hiller, trade talk, and listener emails.
10:33 Byfield Criticism & Team ConstructionDiscussion pivots towards disappointment with Quinton Byfield (“Q”), more fans questioning the coaching, line combos, player trade scenarios, and deeper analysis of what’s wrong with the Kings’ roster makeup. Debate about whether to rebuild or pursue a big move for a player like Robert Thomas.
19:09 Coaching Change Calls & Fan OutlookFurther venting from fans: strong calls for Jim Hiller to be fired, discussion about the front office’s decisions, the emotional toll on fans, optimism versus pessimism for rest of the season, and debate over NHL players at the Olympics. Wrap-up and how fans can interact with the show.
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22 Comments
I get the frustration towards Byfield, but he's not the one reason we aren't playing well; almost everyone is struggling. He's still young, and everyone around him is struggling as well. Moving him now would not be smart, since he still has room to grow. With a couple moves to build around the core, we can see success with him. With his skill set, the risk would be way higher than the reward
Quinton Bustfield.Cant play center and just doesn't have that killer instinct to score goals and doesn't use his size.
Stutzle was the pick
FIRE JIM HITLER #firejimhiller
I guess kings don't want to pay 2 coaches
QB needs a different coach.
Trade them all
Q is soft. Even the little chain on his neck with the Q is soft.
QB is not as good as he was advertised or he doesn't fit in this system. (Does King have a system?)
It's time for rebuild but not with these current staff. They did once and failed
I’m stunned that Hiller wasn’t let go. The Kings and Holland are not serious about winning this season. I’d love to hear an honest answer as to why Hiller hasn’t been let go. What do they see in him that we don’t?
The only plausible reason for them keeping Hiller is that they think it might be too late for a coaching change now or the personel they’d like is not interested.
So they keep him for the season and follow the deadline plan regardless. Either miraculously make it or at the very least set the roster for next season and see who is available in the offseason.
A bunch of fans talking about trading QB… great contract and power forwards come into their prime a little later… he is not the problem, Kings have multiple issues and the rebuild that started with QB should have lasted a couple more years… Blake rushed it because Dewey and Kopi werent having it and wanted to be competitve in their last years and we sacrificed the future for the present… well here we are now in no mans land and Holland keeps trading prospects for 35 players past their prime… rant done
I hope and pray that EP40 never dawns a kings jersey. It would be PLD 5.0. imagine the doughty contract but 10xs worse.
Tank the season
I was thinking this would be a remade 2014 Season where they come back and clinch playoffs after Olympics but I think we’re doing even worse than that
tired of QB
Eddie the players are done playing this style of hockey. How many years has it been with this defensive style hockey that isn't working and is not fun to play. Time to fire Luc , Hiller and the rest of the assistant coaches.
QB Is not the guy, He is not!! Lets stop with, if he plays wing, if he gets on a line with a great center (Like Kopitar??) IF, IF, IF!!! Sorry Eddie, you on the Byfield topic, are delusional..
You look good clean shaven, Eddie. I wish I could say the same of the L.A. Kings. At this point, they are an embarrassment to my city. To lose as many games as they've lost this year, they've got to be real stinkers. At this point, blowing up the team might be an option. Now then, how much do we have to pay the pig who runs the NHL for that #1 draft pick? It's obvious they won't voluntarily let us have it. But then, there are few other teams who have never had a #1 draft pick. I wish someone would bring out these stats for the general public? Well, then again, many hockey fans are no better in morality. Nope, I will never, ever forget shipping slobber voynov back to russia. And when his suspension apparently ended, how many teams inquired about bringing him back to their teams. People really are scumbags. My interest in following hockey may have finally arrived. But God bless Eddie!
I'd trade Byfield for any offer, he won't play D, and he's still trying the tricks that worked in juniors but never in the nhl.
I'm just wondering if AEG has finally stepped in and told KH and Luc to shut it down reference a y personnel decisions. Playoffs are obviously out of reach due to poor coaching, poor player signings and now injuries. The March 6 deadline will tell us more. If KH stands pat and does nothing or trades players for draft picks, then we can guess that the current President, GM and coach are done at the end of the season. If KH brings in an "impact" player, then it means we are doomed and AEG doesn't care or have a clue as to what is going on.
Byfield has an elite shot, great skater, has an element of physicality. The majority of teams would call about him, which should make u second guess trading him. Ppl said Sam reinhart and Sam Bennett event that good. Byfield is on the cusp and he’s only 23, idk why ppl act like this guy is 28 or sumthing. He is still ascending but, I’m not a kings fan so I think it would be kind of funny to watch y trade away a huge part of ur future.