Avs, Kings change tack

The pressure to win in the NHL was evident during the offseason as nine of the 30 teams changed head coaches.

The Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche will have new faces, but experienced hands, behind the bench this season.

Terry Murray, hired July 17 to replace Marc Crawford, will be coaching his fourth NHL team. Tony Granato, who coached the Avalanche from 2002 to 2004, replaced Joel Quenneville in May for his second go-round in Denver.

Both coaches inherited teams not expected to challenge for the Stanley Cup this season. And when Colorado and Los Angeles meet at 7 p.m. today at the MGM Grand Garden for the 11th annual Frozen Fury preseason game, there won't be many recognizable faces -- particularly with the Kings, who are coming off a 32-43-7 season, a last-place finish in the Western Conference and have missed the playoffs six years in a row.

"We have a lot of young players," Murray said. "But I've been impressed with how hard they're working, and we have a lot of pride in our locker room."

Granato said he's glad the Avalanche, which finished sixth last year and made the postseason at 44-31-7, is being overlooked in the preseason magazines.

"I don't think we're getting a lot of respect," he said of his team, which most experts think won't make the playoffs. "But we're in a very nice position as an organization. I think we have skill. I think we have speed. I think we'll be a high-energy team."

Granato began his first head coaching stint in the middle of the season after he replaced Bob Hartley. This time, Granato has had the summer to plan the way he wants the Avalanche to play, which is more up-tempo with an emphasis on skating and transition. Also, Granato served as an assistant with Colorado the past three years, so he knows the personnel.

"We're in a skilled, tough division, and I think we can be a factor," he said of the Northwest, which includes Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Minnesota. "We've got a nice blend of veterans and young legs, and we've added some pieces that we think will allow us to compete."

While Granato is looking to play wide open, Murray wants to see his team tighten up in the defensive half and reduce the number of shots on its goal.

"The one thing I've tried to stress with the team is if we take our defensive responsibilities seriously, it will lead to more offensive opportunities and more scoring," Murray said.

Neither Murray, whose most recent stop was as an assistant in Philadelphia, nor Granato worried about whether they would get a chance to be a head coach again.

"I was looking (forward) to getting the opportunity again to be a head coach," Murray said. "But backing away and doing the assistant coach's role was fun. Working with other people, getting different ideas, learning different ways, it was a good experience."

Granato said: "I won't lie to you, it's definitely something I wanted. But I didn't really dwell on it. I think it was fortunate for me that as an assistant I've been able to watch and see what I wanted to implement."

Granato said he's not surprised by the high rate of turnover among NHL head coaches.

"I think it speaks to how desperate teams are to win," he said. "That's pro sports. That's the reality. You're expected to win."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.