EL SEGUNDO – Would a different coach have turned around the Kings’ season when the team was sputtering at the start?



In a lot of ways, no decision by management has defined L.A.’s year like the choice to bring in Willie Desjardins on an interim basis to take over for John Stevens on Nov. 4 – after a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.



When asked if a different voice would have mattered or if the season had spiraled too far at that point, at 4-8-1, captain Anze Kopitar noted it would be difficult to know for sure. The Kings are 26-33-8 under Desjardins and will miss the playoffs for the second time in three years.



“You can’t really say that because you don’t know what would have happened if we had a different guy. It is what it is right now,” Kopitar said Saturday. “There’s a week left and we’re going to play hard and see where that takes us.”



Some voices around the NHL note that...