The Los Angeles Kings have officially hired Peter Laviolette as their new head coach, the team announced this week.
The 61-year-old veteran bench boss signs on for a three-year term, becoming the 32nd head coach in franchise history.
General Manager Ken Holland made the hire after conducting what was described as a thorough search process that included several candidates with varying backgrounds.
Laviolette brings one of the most decorated resumes in modern NHL coaching history to Southern California. He has coached 1,594 regular-season games across six franchises, ranking ninth all-time in that category.
His 846 career wins place him sixth in league history. Los Angeles becomes the seventh NHL organization he has led, following stints with the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers.
His lone Stanley Cup came with Carolina in 2006, but he has reached the Final three times across three different franchises, a feat only Scotty Bowman, Dick Irvin, and Mike Keenan have also accomplished.
His postseason record sits at 88 wins and 82 losses across 170 games.
A Coach Built for Turnarounds
Perhaps the most compelling part of Laviolette’s track record is what happens in his first season with a new team.
Five of the six organizations he has coached showed immediate improvement under his direction. The Islanders ended a seven-year playoff drought in their first season there.
He guided the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup title after two straight years of missing the postseason. He took the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Final after joining the organization midway through the 2009-10 season. In Nashville, he turned a team that had missed the playoffs two straight years into a Stanley Cup finalist by 2017.
His most recent stop with the Rangers saw him lead the team to the Eastern Conference Finals in his first season, with Artemi Panarin having the best individual season of his career under Laviolette, posting 49 goals and 120 points in 2023-24.
That connection to Panarin matters in Los Angeles. The Kings acquired the star winger before the trade deadline this past season, and Panarin is now set to be a full-time King. Laviolette coached him for two seasons in New York, and the two-year partnership produced some of the most productive hockey of Panarin’s career.
What the Kings Are Getting Into
Los Angeles arrives at this hire after five consecutive first-round playoff exits, including a sweep at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche this past spring in what was captain Anze Kopitar’s final season.
The organization fired Jim Hiller during the season and finished under interim coach D.J. Smith.
The Kings are not built like the top contenders in the Western Conference right now, but Laviolette has a history of reaching the Finals with teams whose leading scorers finished in the 60-point range.
That is an encouraging sign for a roster that has talent but lacks a true superstar presence at center.
