Struggling Kings name Sutter as new coach

(Reuters) - The Los Angeles Kings named Darryl Sutter as their new head coach in hopes he can help the struggling team get their National Hockey League (NHL) season back on track, the club said on Tuesday.

Sutter, who will make his debut Thursday when the Kings host the Anaheim Ducks, last coached in the NHL with the Calgary Flames but stepped down from that role in 2006 to focus on being the team's general manager, a position he vacated a year ago.

The 53-year-old Sutter, who has also coached the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks, is ranked seventh among active coaches with 409 wins, the Kings said in a statement.

Sutter, whose teams have made the postseason in 10 of his 11 seasons as a coach, replaces interim coach John Stevens, who stepped in after Terry Murray was fired earlier this month.

The Kings (15-14-4) entered the 2011-12 NHL season with high expectations after key acquisitions during the offseason but are sitting 10th in the 15-team Western Conference and there points out of the final playoff spot.

(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina; Editing by Frank Pingue)