Peter Laviolette reportedly has agreed to become the next head coach of the Los Angeles Kings, giving Ken Holland the veteran behind the bench as the franchise prepares for its first season without Anže Kopitar. The move would put Laviolette in charge of a team that has spent the spring searching for a way out of the same ending: another short playoff run and another reset.
The timing matters because the Kings are not hiring from a position of patience. Laviolette, 61, is being linked to Los Angeles after Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada reported the agreement, and after saying the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs also showed interest. For the Kings, that makes the choice look less like a fallback than a pick made in a crowded market, with other contenders willing to chase the same coach.
Los Angeles turned to a new voice after firing Jim Hiller in March, when the club was in danger of missing the postseason. Hiller, who had been promoted in 2024 after Todd McLellan was dismissed midseason, finished with a 93-58-24 regular-season record and three total playoff wins before losing his job. Interim coach D.J. Smith then closed the regular season with an 11-6 run, only for the Kings to be swept in the first round by the Colorado Avalanche.
That is the friction in this hire. The Kings moved toward Laviolette even after Smith steadied the team down the stretch, suggesting the organization wanted a cleaner break than a hot finish could provide. It also arrives as Kopitar, who had captained the team since 2016 and was one of the last remaining members of the Kings' Stanley Cup core, has retired. Drew Doughty and Adrian Kempe remain signed through next season, but the roster is changing around them.
Los Angeles won the Stanley Cup in 2014 and 2016, but it has also been eliminated in the first round in each of the last five postseasons. Laviolette brings a long resume, with stops with the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and New York Rangers, plus an 846-562-161 career record, 14 playoff appearances and one Stanley Cup title. What remains unresolved is the paperwork: the report does not say when the hire will be formalized, only that the Kings appear to have chosen their next coach.
