The New York Rangers began their retool just before the Olympic break, with the first big piece on the move being winger Artemi Panarin. Since Panarin had a no-movement clause, the Rangers couldn't exactly get much trade value in return. Panarin wanted to join the Kings and sign an extension with them. In return, the Rangers received top prospect Liam Greentree and a 2026 third-round pick.
Panarin is now entering his first offseason with the Kings, who are need to provide an answer on who will be their coach entering the 2026-27 campaign. One option has emerged, and it's a familiar face for Panarin.
The Athletic NHL insider Pierre LeBrun discussed the coaching situations across the league. LeBrun brought up that former Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette has had "preliminary discussions with a couple of teams," with the Kings being one of them.
Peter Laviolette landing with Kings would create Rangers reunion
As NHL fans know, there are familiar names that circulate on the coaching carousel, and they receive multiple opportunities to be a bench boss in the league. Laviolette is one of those names that frequently gets other coaching opportunities, so it's not necessarily a shock that he has had talks with the Kings.
The Rangers were in need of a new coach after they opted to fire Gerard Gallant following their first-round playoff elimination to the rival New Jersey Devils. Instead of promoting Kris Knoblauch from within, general manager Chris Drury and team owner James Dolan picked Laviolette, who had a Stanley Cup title to his coaching resume. The thing was, it took place in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes, and that was four coaching tenures prior to him joining the Rangers.
Rangers fans saw the highs of picking Laviolette as their coach. In his first season, the Rangers won the President's Trophy for securing the best record in the regular season, and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost in six games to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. In the 2024-25 season, the Rangers fell off a proverbial cliff, going 39-36-7, finishing fifth in the Metropolitan Division, and missing out on the playoffs. Considering how the team looked lost during the season, Laviolette was fired.
While Laviolette was around for just two years, he was the coach while Panarin had the best statistical season of his career. In the 2023-24 season, Panarin scored a career-high 49 goals and tallied a career-high 120 points in 82 games.
It's unknown if Laviolette is the favorite to get the job or not. The Kings were reportedly denied the chance to interview Bruce Cassidy by the Vegas Golden Knights, but were declined by the team. Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said the reason they aren't allowing Cassidy to interview with teams like the Kings and Edmonton Oilers is due to them focusing on their playoff run. Plus, there's the possibility of the Kings lifting the interim tag off D.J. Smith and give him the promotion.
There is still plenty of time for the Kings to make their decision, but Rangers fans shouldn't be shocked if the Pacific Division team decides to reunite Panarin with Laviolette.
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