The Los Angeles Kings are expected to hand the keys to the bench to veteran NHL coach Peter Laviolette on a three-year deal, according to league sources, in what shapes up as the franchise’s splashiest offseason move as it tries to shake off a run of early playoff exits.
As reported by The Athletic, the agreement is expected to span three years and has been confirmed to league insiders. That reporting casts the hire as a calculated play by Los Angeles to bring in a seasoned bench boss who can drag this roster deeper into the postseason.
Laviolette, 61, most recently coached the New York Rangers and was fired in April 2025 after two seasons, NHL.com reported. He won the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and has steered multiple clubs on long playoff runs, giving him the veteran résumé the Kings have been seeking.
The reported move comes on the heels of a frustrating 2025-26 campaign that ended with a first-round sweep by the Colorado Avalanche and sparked fresh questions about the Kings’ postseason ceiling, according to Los Angeles Times coverage. Los Angeles has had little trouble qualifying for the playoffs, only to bow out when the stakes spike, pushing the front office to prioritize an established coach.
Why Laviolette?
Observers describe Laviolette as an aggressive, pace-driven coach who leans on veteran leadership and straightforward systems designed for playoff hockey. Reporting on the coaching search, including coverage from Pro Hockey Rumors, indicated he was among the candidates interviewed and that the team’s wish list started with someone who could deliver results right away, not two or three years down the road.
Next Steps
The Kings had not issued a formal announcement at the time of this report, but The Athletic’s coverage indicates terms are expected to be finalized and an introductory press conference could follow within days. Once the coaching staff is locked in, attention is set to swing to roster calls as the organization tries to convert regular-season competence into something more threatening in May and June.
If the hiring is completed, it will mark a clear turn toward experience for GM Ken Holland and a tighter competitive window for the core players now tasked with proving they can finally break through the first round. For Kings fans, the verdict will not come on the day Laviolette is introduced but next spring, when the real question gets answered: did a change behind the bench actually change this team’s fate?
