The Los Angeles Kings had a disappointing season in 2025-26. After struggling a lot of the season, the Kings fired Jim Hiller as the pinnacle coach. D.J. Smith took over on an interim basis and led the Kings back to the playoffs for the fifth straight 12 months. The Kings would fall in the primary round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a fifth straight season, this time being swept by the Colorado Avalanche.
Now, the Kings have a brand new head coach, in keeping with hockey insider Elliotte Friedman.
The Kings have named Peter Laviolette as the following head coach of the team. The Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs were also concerned about Laviolette for the job. The coach was highly wanted as a consequence of his prior track record. His 846 profession wins rank seventh all-time. This can be the seventh stop in his coaching profession.
After a successful profession as an AHL coach, Laviolette got his first head coaching job with the Latest York Islanders for the 2001-02 season. After making the playoffs two straight years, but losing in the primary round every year, he was fired by the Islanders following the 2002-03 season. In the course of the following season, the Carolina Hurricanes fired Paul Maurice in the course of the 2003-04 season, and Laviolette would take over.
After failing to make the playoffs in his first season, the coach would lead Carolina to a Stanley Cup victory in 2005-06. From there, it didn’t go well. They missed the playoffs two straight years, and he was fired mid-way through the 2008-09 season. This may lead the Stanley Cup-winning coach to get his next opprotunity within the 2009-10 season, when John Stevens was fired by the Philadelphia Flyers, and Laviolette got here to the rescue.
In his first season with the Flyers, he led them to a comeback after being down 3-0 within the Eastern Conference finals over the Boston Bruins, reaching the Stanley Cup Final but falling to the Chicago Blackhawks. The following two seasons would see early playoff exits, after which a missed playoffs in 2012-13, before being fired after an 0-3 start in 2013-14.
Laviolette would return to the Stanley Cup Final in his next stop. He began with the Nashville Predators in 2014-15, and led them to the Cup Final in 2017, but lost to Pittsburgh. While he led the Preds to 5 straight playoff berths, he was fired midway through the 2019-20 season. Laviolette then spent three years with the Capitals and two more years with the Latest York Rangers, making the playoffs three of the five seasons.
This past season was the primary time since before becoming the Islanders coach that Laviolette didn’t coach in an NHL game. Now, with a 12 months of rest under his belt, he looks to bring the Kings back to their former glory and hopefully lift the Cup yet one more time.
The Los Angeles Kings had a disappointing season in 2025-26. After struggling a lot of the season, the Kings fired Jim Hiller as the pinnacle coach. D. J. Smith took over on an interim basis and led the Kings back to the playoffs for the fifth straight 12 months. The Kings would fall in the primary round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a fifth straight season, this time being swept by the Colorado Avalanche.