Kings hire – Peter Laviolette, 61, has been hired as the Los Angeles Kings’ head coach, taking over after D.J. Smith’s interim stint ended following a playoff sweep by the Colorado Avalanche. Laviolette brings 1,594 career NHL games as a head coach and a Stanley Cup title
The Los Angeles Kings moved quickly to settle their bench question, naming Peter Laviolette as their new head coach as the franchise looks to break a painful playoff pattern.
Laviolette. 61. is one of the most experienced figures available on the NHL market. owning 1. 594 career NHL games as a head coach with the New York Rangers. Washington Capitals. Nashville Predators. Philadelphia Flyers. Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders. His résumé carries a championship moment: he won the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006. He also reached the final as runner-up in 2010 with the Flyers and in 2017 with Nashville.
The timing matters. Laviolette took a year off coaching this past season after his two-year run with the Rangers ended with New York missing the playoffs in 2024-25. For the Kings. that creates a clear sense of intent: they aren’t waiting around for a gradual rebuild on the fly—they’re handing the job to a coach with decades of playoff experience in his orbit.
He replaces D.J. Smith. who served as the Kings’ head coach in an interim capacity after they fired Him Hiller midway through the 2025-26 season. Under Smith, the Kings did qualify for the playoffs, but the postseason offer didn’t last long. They were promptly swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the opening round. extending a difficult history: it was the Kings’ fifth consecutive first-round playoff exit.
Smith’s path to the job was already turbulent, and his replacement follows a short playoff memory. Before Laviolette was chosen. Smith and Kings candidates included former Ottawa Senators head coach Smith and Anaheim Ducks assistant Jay Woodcroft. The Kings ultimately picked Laviolette, a decision that reshapes the coaching landscape across the league.
With Laviolette now hired, just the Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs remain with head-coaching vacancies. Laviolette previously interviewed with the Maple Leafs while the Oilers also had interest, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The sequence is stark for a Kings group that keeps reaching the same finish line and losing there: an interim coach who delivered a playoff spot. a sweep that kept the first-round exit streak alive. then a search that ended with a coach who has already lived through title runs and final defeats. Now the question shifts to whether Laviolette can change what has repeated for five straight seasons.
Peter Laviolette Los Angeles Kings D.J. Smith Him Hiller Colorado Avalanche NHL head coach hire Stanley Cup Carolina 2006 1 594 career games Rangers 2024-25 missed playoffs