One of the most experienced head coaches on the market is on his way to L.A.
The Los Angeles Kings have officially hired Peter Laviolette as their new head coach, the team announced Tuesday.
Laviolette, 61, has been a head coach for 1,594 career NHL games with the New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders.
He won the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006 and was runner-up in 2010 with the Flyers and 2017 with Nashville.
Laviolette took a year off coaching this past season after his two-year run with the Rangers ended with his team missing the playoffs in 2024-25.
The Franklin, Mass., native is replacing D.J. Smith, who served as the Kings’ head coach in an interim capacity after they fired Him Hiller midway through the 2025-26 season.
Smith and the Kings qualified for the playoffs, but were promptly swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the opening round, marking the team’s fifth consecutive first-round playoff exit.
Smith, a former Ottawa Senators head coach, and Anaheim Ducks assistant Jay Woodcroft also were in the mix for the job before the Kings picked Laviolette.
The Kings' hire leaves just the Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs as teams with head-coaching vacancies. Laviolette previously interviewed with the Maple Leafs while the Oilers also had interest, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
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