According to Elliotte Friedman of Rogers Sportsnet, the Los Angeles Kings have fired assistant general manager Mike Futa of Toronto, Ontario. Futa had been with the Kings since 2007-08 in many different executive capacities.
In Futa’s first seven seasons with the Kings from 2007 to 2014, he was the Kings’ co-director of amateur scouting. It was during this time that Los Angeles won their only two Stanley Cups in franchise history. The first came in 2012 and the second came in 2014.
From 2014 to 2017, Futa took on multiple roles with the Kings’ organization. They were the vice president of hockey operations and director of player personnel.
Futa has been the assistant general manager of the Kings over the last three seasons since 2017. During that time he had worked under the guidance and tutelage of eight-time all-star and 1998 Norris Trophy winner Rob Blake. An Olympic gold medalist in men’s hockey for Team Canada at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Blake has been the Kings’ general manager since 2017. Like Futa, Blake is also from the Canadian province of Ontario as he calls the town of Simcoe home.
Prior to his lengthy time as an employee of the Los Angeles Kings, Futa worked in the Ontario Hockey League from 1997 to 2007. He was the assistant coach with the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors from 1997 to 1999, with the Majors as their head coach from 1999 to 2000, the assistant general manager and assistant head coach of the Oshawa Generals from 2000 to 2002 and the general manager of the Owen Sound Attack from 2002 to 2007. Futa’s head coaching record in the OHL was 36 wins, 77 regulation losses, five ties and four losses in extra time.
As a player, Futa never played in the National Hockey League. He played as a forward with the Henry Carr Crusaders of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, with York University of the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union, two professional teams in Denmark (Herning and Gladsaxe) and REV Bremerhaven in Germany.
It will be interesting to see if the Kings finish their 2019-20 NHL regular season. At the time of their lockdown, they were seventh in the Pacific Division with a record of 29 wins, 35 regulation losses, and six losses in extra time for 64 points.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
