Kings reportedly agree to hire Peter Laviolette as head coach on three-year deal

The Los Angeles Kings are poised to name Peter Laviolette as their next head coach, with multiple reports indicating he has agreed to a three-year contract. The move would replace interim coach D.J. Smith, who finished the season behind the bench after Los Angeles fired Jim Hiller in March. As of publication, the Kings had not posted an official release confirming the contract terms and effective date, but the hiring is being treated as a near-final done deal.

The timing fits a summer of resets for a franchise that has not managed to get past the first round for a fifth straight year. The Kings finished 35-27-20 to clinch the final playoff berth from the Pacific Division, then were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the opening round, according to the report. The playoff pattern matters because it adds urgency to any coaching hire, not just for day-to-day systems but for the ability to translate regular-season preparation into postseason results.

The coaching change is also the latest pivot after the Kings removed Hiller during the regular season. reported that Hiller was fired and replaced by associate coach D.J. Smith, with general manager Ken Holland citing the need for a leadership change to give the team the best opportunity to reach its potential. At the time, also noted the Kings sat sixth in the Pacific Division and ranked near the bottom of the league in several process categories, including power-play production, penalty killing, and goals per game. Those are the kinds of operational weaknesses a new head coach is typically expected to address quickly.

For Laviolette, the Kings offer a familiar challenge, and also a chance to apply proven experience to a roster that is trying to become more than a postseason qualifier. The reports place him at the center of a high-expectation assignment in Los Angeles after he took a year out of the league following a two-season run with the New York Rangers that ended with his dismissal. reported Laviolette was fired on April 19, 2025, after the Rangers missed the playoffs despite winning the Presidents’ Trophy in 2023-24.

Laviolette’s track record is built on deep runs and high-pressure coaching stops. Sportsnet reported that, at age 61, he has been a head coach for 1,594 career NHL games across six franchises: the Rangers, Capitals, Predators, Flyers, Hurricanes, and Islanders. Sportsnet also noted he won the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006 and reached the Final as runner-up with Philadelphia in 2010 and Nashville in 2017, which is the kind of postseason resume teams often look for when they decide a change is necessary. With the Kings expected to become his seventh NHL franchise as a head coach, the hire is also a bet that his experience navigating playoff intensity can help Los Angeles break its current pattern.

The Kings’ need for stability is part of why Laviolette stands out from a typical coaching carousel. Sportsnet reported that Smith and Jay Woodcroft were also in the mix, but the Kings ultimately leaned toward Laviolette’s proven résumé. The hire would also leave only a limited number of NHL head-coaching vacancies leaguewide, underscoring that this coaching search is being viewed as one of the more prominent offseason decisions.

What to watch next is less about the headline and more about fit. The Kings will have a short window to translate Laviolette’s approach into a playoff-ready identity, especially given the franchise’s recent exits and the earlier signs that special teams and goal production were stumbling points. If the coaching transition is confirmed on schedule, Los Angeles will likely prioritize defining expectations for system execution, defensive structure, and the discipline needed to win in the tighter margins of spring hockey. Until an official Kings announcement drops, the only certainty remains that a veteran coach is being brought in to change the direction of a franchise still looking for the next step.