Peter Laviolette was named head coach of the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. The 61-year-old replaces D.J. Smith, who took over on an interim basis after Jim Hiller was fired on March 1. Smith had spent his second full season with the Kings' coaching staff before his abrupt exit.
This marks Laviolette’s seventh head coaching job in the NHL. He ranks seventh all-time in wins with 846 and ninth in games coached with 1,594. Most recently, he guided the New York Rangers for two seasons, leading them to the Presidents’ Trophy in 2023-24 with a 55-23-4 record. However, the Rangers fell to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final and missed the playoffs in 2024-25 with a 39-36-7 record, prompting their decision to part ways.
The Kings were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, marking the first time since 2018 that they lost a best-of-seven series in four straight games. Despite making the playoffs for five consecutive seasons, the team has now been eliminated in the opening round each time.
Laviolette’s coaching career began with the New York Islanders in 2001-02. He won the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, defeating the Edmonton Oilers in seven games. He also coached the Philadelphia Flyers from 2009 to 2013, the Nashville Predators from 2014 to 2020, and the Washington Capitals from 2020 to 2023.
Laviolette has reached the Stanley Cup Final with three different franchises: the Flyers in 2010 and the Predators in 2017. He is one of only four coaches in NHL history to reach the Cup Final with three different teams. He also holds the record for the most consecutive Game 7 wins in playoff history with five.
Laviolette will be reunited with Kings forward Artemi Panarin, who played under him with the Rangers before being traded to Los Angeles on February 4. The move gives the Kings a familiar presence in the locker room and could add cohesion to a team in need of a playoff breakthrough.
The Kings are expected to finalize their coaching staff in the coming days ahead of the 2025 training camp.
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