Roughly two weeks after ousting Darryl Sutter, the Los Angeles Kings did not reach too far to replace their head coach, announcing Sunday that John Stevens has been promoted to fill the position starting in 2017-18.

The move lifts Stevens to a role he held for four games in 2011-12, when he went 2-2 as the interim fill-in for Terry Murray, and prioritizes familiarity -- and an apparently easygoing mentality -- for a team that is only two seasons removed from a Stanley Cup title and five seasons removed from its first-ever championship.

The familiarity obviously stems from the fact that Stevens has been in the Kings organization for nearly seven years. Hired in June 2010 after more than three seasons as the Philadelphia Flyers' head coach, he spent time as an assistant coach and associate head coach, helping craft the Kings defense that won L.A. a pair of titles between 2011-12 and 2013-14.

And the easygoing mentality, a contrast to the apparently more rigid approaches of guys like Sutter and, from Stevens' Flyers days, Ken Hitchcock, is one that may very well appeal to the Kings' experienced, albeit under-performing lineup. Couple a more player-friendly atmosphere with Stevens' familiarity with L.A.'s title-winning defense, and maybe it's not so crazy to think the Kings could get over the hump and back into the playoffs in a year's time.

If the Kings rally under his watch, helping Stevens to a third career playoff appearance as an NHL head coach, the team might be in for quite a few treats, too: