For the past month, the Los Angeles Kings and general manager Ken Holland have been searching for the franchise's next head coach.
Reporting early this week on Monday shows that the Kings have seemingly found their next head coaching hire in former New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette.
Multiple reports (including from Elliotte Friedman) on June 8 indicated that the Kings hired Laviolette to be their next full-time head coach.
TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on June 8 that Laviolette had agreed to a three-year contract with the Kings today.
After weeks of speculation, the Los Angeles Kings appear to have landed the experienced coach they were seeking
The Kings haven't formally announced the hiring of Laviolette yet. But it sounds like that could be happening in just a couple of days later this week.
This news comes after multiple weeks of reports and conversations indicating that the Kings had considered the likes of Laviolette, now-former interim head coach DJ Smith, Anaheim Ducks assistant coach Jay Woodcroft, and former Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy, among others on the coaching carousel early this offseason.
Laviolette brings a proven track record of winning experience in the regular season and the postseason in this past couple of decades in the league. He's taken multiple teams to the Stanley Cup Finals (including the Nashville Predators and Philadelphia Flyers) and he won the Stanley Cup Championship with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.
The Kings needed a coach capable of helping the team take the next step offensively while also finding greater postseason success in the Western Conference.
He can help the Kings improve immediately in the regular season in the upcoming 2026-27 campaign and in the Pacific Division.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the hiring is what it says about the organization's expectations moving forward. Teams entering a rebuild do not typically hire a veteran coach with Laviolette's résumé. The decision suggests the Kings still believe they can compete in the Western Conference despite the retirement of Anze Kopitar.
While Laviolette doesn't have any previous connections directly to Holland, he does have connections and familiarity with multiple players on the Kings' roster lineup projected for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
There is familiarity between Laviolette and star forward Artemi Panarin from their time together with the Rangers a few years ago.
The hire also signals that Holland prioritized experience over continuity. The Kings could have retained DJ Smith or pursued a less experienced candidate, but instead turned to one of the most accomplished coaches available on the market.
Laviolette's résumé speaks for itself. Over more than two decades as an NHL head coach, he has led six different franchises to the postseason, won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, and guided both the Philadelphia Flyers and Nashville Predators to Stanley Cup Final appearances. Few coaches available this offseason could match his combination of experience and playoff success.
In the 2020s decade, Laviolette has coached both the Washington Capitals and the Rangers. He led both to postseason appearances in the last half decade, including an Eastern Conference Finals run with the Rangers in 2023.
Purely in terms of his winning track record and postseason success on his resume, Laviolette was one of the best coaching candidates available for the Kings to hire early this offseason. The fact that he's taken so many different teams to the postseason, and he's taken teams from both conferences to the Stanley Cup Finals speaks for itself.
Hiring Laviolette does not solve every issue facing the Kings this offseason. The organization still needs to address its center depth and continue building its roster for the post-Kopitar era. However, securing one of the most experienced coaches available is a significant first step and could end up being one of the most important moves the franchise makes this summer.
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