On Sep 22, Kwangdong Freecs announced the departure of their head coach, Jang “Cain” Nu-ri, and the acquisition of Kim “cvMax” Dae-ho for the 2023 season.

Despite some of the biggest pro players in the LCK such as Kim “Kiin” Ki-in and Park “Teddy” Jin-seong on Kwangdong Freecs’ 2022 roster, they finished 5th place in the Spring split, and 7th in the Summer. Due to such lackluster performance this season, they ultimately failed to qualify for the LCK regional qualifiers, let alone for the 2022 LoL World Championship.

Their latest acquisition, head coach cvMax, returns to the scene after his sabbatical. He went into a sabbatical after DRX’s 10th place finish in 2021 LCK Summer split, in which he explained at the time that a break from coaching in a professional setting is something that he felt was necessary.

In a short Q&A video with Kwangdong Freecs, he explained that he didn’t want to end his professional career with a 10th place finish and a suspension during the Spring split of that season. He also shared that he feels more confident in his ability to coach a team, and wants to produce great results in the LCK.

Whether or not the current players registered on the current KDF roster will remain for the 2023 season remains to be seen.