Kings Hire Peter Laviolette on Three-Year Deal

Sport

By lines

June 10, 2026

The Kings hire Peter Laviolette on a three-year contract as head coach. Los Angeles bet on experience after a disappointing 2025-26 season. Laviolette replaces interim coach D.J. Smith behind the Kings bench.

Why the Kings Turned to Peter Laviolette Now

The Los Angeles Kings agreed with Peter Laviolette on a three-year deal. Laviolette is 61 years old and did not coach in 2025-26. The New York Rangers fired Laviolette in 2025 after two seasons. The Maple Leafs and Oilers also pursued Laviolette during this hiring cycle.

Peter Laviolette has coached 1,594 regular-season NHL games, a top-10 total all time. Laviolette won the 2006 Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes. Laviolette has led the Hurricanes, Flyers, Islanders, Predators and Capitals. That resume spans five franchises across more than two decades.

Peter Laviolette has reached the Stanley Cup Final three times as a head coach. Laviolette won with Carolina in 2006 and lost finals with Philadelphia and Nashville. Few available coaches matched that postseason depth this hiring cycle. The Kings prioritized Final experience over a first-time head coach.

Laviolette led the New York Rangers to the Presidents’ Trophy in 2024. The Rangers reached the 2024 Eastern Conference Final under Laviolette. New York then missed the playoffs in 2025 before firing Laviolette. That arc shows the ceiling and the risk for the Kings.

The Los Angeles Kings fired Jim Hiller on March 1, 2026, at 24-21-14. The Kings had lost five of their previous six games before the firing. Los Angeles sat outside a playoff spot at the time of the move. D.J. Smith then ran the Kings as interim head coach.

The Kings lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round four straight years. Los Angeles has not escaped the opening round across that stretch. Peter Laviolette inherits a roster built to challenge the Western Conference. The three-year term signals patience from Kings management toward Laviolette.

The Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014 under Darryl Sutter. Los Angeles last reached the Western Conference Final in 2014. The Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights now headline a brutal Pacific Division. Laviolette must lift the Kings past those rivals to end the drought.

Laviolette must solve the Kings playoff ceiling against deeper Western Conference rivals. Los Angeles opens the Laviolette era when the 2026-27 NHL season begins. Watch how Laviolette structures the Kings defense around that first-round history.