John Stevens losing his job as a result of the Los Angeles Kings’ 4-8-1 start wasn’t completely a surprise. The losing streak, combined with the team’s uninspired play and befuddling lack of chemistry meant that his job was on the hot seat, and Stevens knew it. The timing of the termination was a surprise, though, coming after some much more cohesive team play and evident buy-in up and down the lineup.
The fan reaction to the change was largely one of why now — either because the team was playing better, or because the change should have been made already.