Peter Laviolette will be the next head coach of the Los Angeles Kings, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Kings hadn't yet announced the results of their lengthy search for a permanent replacement for interim coach D.J.
Smith, who replaced Jim Hiller in March.team. The Kings have made the playoffs in five consecutive seasons, but they've also endured five straight first-round exits under three head coaches and two general managers.in April 2025.
He has also led the New York Islanders, Carolina, Philadelphia, Nashville and Washington during a 23-year head coaching career highlighted by a Stanley Cup championship with the Laviolette's teams have reached the postseason in 11 of the past 14 seasons he finished behind a bench, and he also led theIn his first West Coast NHL job, Laviolette is taking over a good team that is stuck in a profound rut, unable to become a Stanley Cup contender. General manager Ken Holland fired Hiller shortly after the Olympic break in the coach's second full season in charge, and the Kings went 11-6-6 after Smith stepped up from his assistant's role.
Smith, who was a candidate for the permanent job, got the Kings into the final Western Conference playoff spot — but Los Angeles was swept out of the first round by theLos Angeles still hasn't won a playoff round since raising the Stanley Cup in 2014, but the roster has a solid core of talent despite the retirement of longtime captain The intense Laviolette became known for creating aggressive offensive attacks and making quick franchise turnarounds in his previous stops. He could be part of an organizational shift for the Kings, who have spent two decades as a philosophically defense-first team — to the regular detriment of their offense.
Los Angeles finished 29th in the NHL in scoring last season with just 220 goals, easily the fewest among playoff teams. The Kings are in the bottom half of the NHL in scoring over the past five seasons despite making the playoffs every year. Holland publicly wondered whether the Kings are too defensive-minded after they scored just five goals in their four-game sweep at the hands of the Avs, but he didn't commit to a change in team philosophy.
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