The Los Angeles Kings have fired head coach John Stevens after a 4-8-1 start to begin the 2018 season.

Stevens has been replaced by former Vancouver Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins on an interim basis.

Kings general manager Rob Blake said this about the decision:

“This is a critical time in our season and our results to date have fallen well below our expectations. With that in mind, this was a difficult decision but one we feel was necessary. We have a great deal of respect and appreciation for John’s time with our organization. He was a key part of our past success, and we have tremendous gratitude for his many contributions.”

The Kings also announced that they will replace assistant coach Don Nachbaur with Marco Sturm, who is the current head coach and general manager of the German national team.