The news of the Vegas Golden Knights in the Pacific Division abruptly firing now-former head coach Bruce Cassidy might have given the Los Angeles Kings and their front office an opportunity to find a new potential head coaching candidate this upcoming summer in the next few months in the 2026 offseason.
Early Los Angeles Kings' head coaching hot board for the 2026 offseason this summer
This regular season in this past couple of months in early March, the Kings replaced former head coach Jim Hiller with interim head coach DJ Smith in the West. After the Kings fired Hiller on March 1 in this past few weeks, Smith got the interim job behind the bench for the franchise this regular season in the Pacific Division.
If the Kings do decide to look elsewhere this upcoming offseason in the summer of 2026, especially if the team doesn't make the postseason this upcoming spring in the next couple of months in April and May, what other options could the front office management look to for their next hire?
Here are three early head coaching candidates for the Kings to target this upcoming offseason on their hot board for the front office in the summer of 2026.
Peter DeBoer (former Dallas Stars head coach)
Former Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer has won a Stanley Cup and made it to multiple conference finals in the league in the NHL this past decade. DeBeor has made multiple appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals, with the New Jersey Devils and the Sharks in this past couple of decades in the league in the postseason in the playoffs.
It also wasn't very long ago that DeBoer was taking the Stars in Dallas to the Western Conference Finals in the early-to-mid 2020s decade. The Stars fired DeBoer this past season after he took the team to three straight conference finals appearances in the West (from 2022-2024).