Sutter went 25-13-11 in the regular season, and the Kings dominated the Western Conference playoffs with a 12-2 record before defeating the New Jersey Devils 4-2 in the Stanley Cup Final.
Sutter had been out of coaching for nearly five-and-a-half years when Los Angeles hired him to replace Murray on Dec. 20. As opposed to his last offseason, which Sutter probably spent on his family's farm in Canada, he now has the task of getting the Kings back to the Stanley Cup Final.
The stakes are always high when you coach in L.A., but the bar gets set even higher when your name is preceded by "reigning Stanley Cup champion."
Expectations
After the franchise captured their first Stanley Cup last season, the Kings' bandwagon will be so full that there will be barley any room to run behind it.
Sutter will be responsible for dealing with the high expectations and leading the Kings back not only to the playoffs, but to consecutive Stanley Cup championships.
However, it will be no easy task. A team has not repeated as champs since the 1997-1998 Detroit Red Wings squads, who were coached by the legendary Scotty Bowman.
The celebrity-laden crowd of Staples Center will not be forgiving. Sutter and the Kings need to perform at a championship-caliber level when the season does eventually start.
Talent Needs to Perform
One of the main gripes against Murray was that he was not getting production out of his top forwards. Sutter is not known as an offensive coach, but he was able to motivate and get the most out of his players.
In an interview with N...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
