Last-place Kings fire Stevens; Sturm joins as assistant coach

The struggling Los Angeles Kings fired head coach John Stevens on Sunday just 13 games into his second season in charge.

Willie Desjardins will be the Kings’ interim head coach for the rest of the regular season, general manager Rob Blake said.

Los Angeles also fired assistant coach Don Nachbaur and hired former Kings and Sharks forward Marco Sturm to replace him on Desjardins’ staff.

Los Angeles is last in the overall NHL standings after a 4-8-1 start and last in the league with 2.15 goals per game. The Kings have been outscored 45-28, but they had won two of their past three games following a six-game losing streak.

“I’m looking to get the compete and the passion back,” Blake said after announcing his second coaching change in 19 months. “We need our players emotionally involved. It’s difficult to win when you’re not. We expect Willie to bring that passion and that excitement to this team.”

Desjardins, the former Vancouver head coach, will debut behind the bench when the Kings host rival Anaheim on Tuesday night.

The Kings still have a wealth of top-end NHL talent including Hart Trophy finalist Anze Kopitar, Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Drew Doughty and high-scoring forward Jeff Carter alongside newcomer Ilya Kovalchuk. But with goalie Jonathan Quick missing all but four games because of injuries, Los Angeles has stumbled through the past 31/2 weeks with its top-heavy roster of well-paid veterans, inconsistent depth players and a patchy defense.

Sturm, a Shark from 1997-2006, has been the head coach of the German national team since 2015, leading his nation to a silver medal in Pyeongchang.