Last season KA went out and signed Taylor Hall, added veteran leadership in E. Staal, and other role players (Eakin, Reider, etc..). At the time expectations were high, he put the team in "win now" mode. He gave Eichel and Co the supporting pieces they've been asking for.
However, Eichel and Co failed to lead and when things started to go sideways they sprinted for the emergency exit. That's not on KA.