The Los Angeles Kings are hiring coach Peter Laviolette, according to multiple reports. He ranks among the top 10 coaches in NHL history for most games coached, won, lost and more.
The Los Angeles Kings are hiring experienced NHL coach Peter Laviolette to lead the bench.
Laviolette, 61, is a Stanley Cup champion and a two-time Jack Adams Award finalist. He joins the Kings on a three-year contract, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman and TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
Los Angeles fired coach Jim Hiller on March 1, and D.J. Smith took over on an interim basis. But now, the Kings will be coached by someone who ranks high in the NHL's all-time coaching leaderboards.
Here's where he ranks across some of the most significant coaching categories.
Seasons Coached: 23 (Tied For Seventh-Most All-Time)
Laviolette has coached for six different teams beforehand: the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and New York Rangers.
Coaching this season would move Laviolette into sole possession of seventh place, passing Al Arbour and Barry Trotz. If John Tortorella does not coach next season, Laviolette would move into a tie for sixth place.
Games Coached: 1,594 (Ninth-Most All-Time)
Laviolette coached his first career NHL game with the Islanders on Oct. 5, 2001, when he was 36.
His 164 games coached with the Islanders are tied for the fewest he's had with a team so far. He also coached 164 games with the Rangers, the last NHL team Laviolette worked for before Los Angeles.
If Laviolette coaches all 84 games next season, he'd pass Ken Hitchcock and Al Arbour. He could climb as high as sixth place, depending on what Tortorella does next year.
Games Won: 846 (Seventh-Most All-Time)
Laviolette helped the Rangers win the Presidents' Trophy in 2023-24, when they posted a 55-23-4 record. That's the most games Laviolette has won in a season. One year later, the Rangers missed the playoffs and fired him.
Getting win No. 900 next season is possible, but he would need 54 victories to do so. He only needs four wins to pass Hitchcock for sixth place.
Games Won, Including Playoffs: 934 (Seventh-Most All-Time)
Two wins would move Laviolette past Hitchcock for sixth-place all-time in this category.
Laviolette has made the playoffs 14 times, most recently getting to the Eastern Conference final with the Rangers in 2023-24.
He's reached the Stanley Cup final three times. The last time came in 2016-17 with the Predators, which lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In 2005-06, Laviolette led the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup with a 16-9 record.
Games Lost In Regulation: 562 (Eighth-Most All-Time)
The most-experienced coaches will have their fair share of losses.
In 2022-23, the Capitals lost 37 games in regulation, a career-worst for Laviolette. They finished 12 points out of a playoff spot, and the team fired him.
Laviolette will try to make sure the Kings don't go down that path next season. They may have lost only 27 games en route to making the playoffs as the bottom seed, but they also lost 20 games in overtime. The OT-loser point made the difference between the Kings making the playoffs and finishing near the bottom of the NHL.
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