Peter Laviolette reportedly still has the itch to coach. 

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Laviolette is motivated to get another NHL head coaching job after a disastrous season with the New York Rangers.

Rangers Fire Peter Laviolette After Failing To Meet Expectations The New York Rangers have officially fired Peter Laviolette. 

“He wanted to show people that last year wasn’t on him, and it was bigger than just coaching,” Friedman said. “He would have the desire to prove it and show it and Laviolette does have the reputation as the turnaround master. His teams in the first year do extremely well. But he’d definitely got that mentality and the word on that is out there.”

The Rangers hired Laviolette in 2023 and he had a historic season in New York, helping lead the Rangers to win the Presidents’ Trophy and reach the Eastern Conference Final before losing to the Florida Panthers.

However, everything fell apart for Laviolette and the Rangers during the 2024-25 campaign. 

Between all of the off-ice play combined with the team’s sudden downfall, the Rangers were a complete trainwreck and it ultimately cost Laviolette his job as he was fired after the season and replaced by Mike Sullivan. 

It’s hard to say how much of Laviolette is to blame for the Blueshirts’ collapse. There seemed to be a deep internal problem within the team and Laviolette was just the scapegoat. 

Regardless of that though, Laviolette was a part of that mess and he’ll certainly be asked about it if he is to be interviewed for another coaching job.