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Head coach Peter Laviolette is back in the NHL, this time as the bench boss of the Los Angeles Kings. GM Ken Holland announced on Tuesday that Laviolette will take over as head coach and has reportedly agreed on a three-year deal, bringing back one of the NHL’s elite coaches.
After dismissing Jim Hiller, the Kings replaced him with former Ottawa Senators coach D.J. Smith, who had been the Kings assistant coach. Smith led the Kings to mild success and was immediately rumored to be replaced after Los Angeles were eliminated in the first round by the Colorado Avalanche.
Laviolette, 61, comes to the Kings with quite a resume. He is the seventh-winningest coach in NHL history with 846 wins, which ranks first among U.S. born coaches. He has an overall record of 846-562-186 for a .531 points %, which covers 23 seasons. His 1,594 games coached rank second among U.S. born coaches. He has had past stops with the Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers.
Laviolette led Carolina to a Stanley Cup championship in 2006 and was also named a Jack Adams award finalist for the league’s best coach twice, once in Carolina in 2006 and again with Nashville in 2015.
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His resume in the playoffs is quite impressive also. He has led 14 different teams to the Stanley Cup playoffs, posting a record of 88-82 in 170 games. he is one of only four head coaches in NHL history to have guided three different teams to the Stanley Cup final. The other three? Scotty Bowman, Dick Irvin, and Mike Keenan.
Laviolette is going to bring a different style of coaching to Los Angeles. He has a coaching style described as an aggressive, up-tempo offense, but also a structured locked-down defensive approach. He has been known to turn teams around rather quickly, partly due to his encouraging defensemen to join the rush and heavily provide offensive chances. he does tend to rely more on seasoned veteran players during his tenures as head coach.
So what changes will he make or what should we look out for? Look for him to open up the Kings game, allowing them to create more offense from every player on the team. Look for them to be quicker in transition. The defense style of play Los Angeles are used to playing might be gone as he wants a fast-paced style of play.
Speaking of a new system and style of play, this could be a change for two players in particular. Laviolette may want to unlock the full potential of center Quinton Byfield and defenseman Brandt Clarke this could be good for several reasons. Neither has lived up to their potential and opening up their game could benefit them and the team due to the low offense they provided last season. The 2026-27 version of the Kings could be more offensive, which is what led to many losses last season. While this could be the first of many changes this offseason, this is a major move for the Kings organization.
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Categorized:Kings