For NHL fans, they may be used to seeing the coaching carousel feature the same names over the years. So it's no surprise that this offseason, Peter Laviolette ended up with another coaching gig. After being fired by the New York Rangers last offseason, he officially signed on to be the new head coach for the Los Angeles Kings after reports indicated he was in talks with the Pacific Division team.
Laviolette's tenure with the Rangers ended after two seasons, as the team pivoted to hiring Mike Sullivan. After one season off, Laviolette now joins a Kings team that made the playoffs this season, and gets to reunite with one of his top players from new York in Artemi Panarin.
During his introductory press conference on Wednesday, Laviolette said that he is looking forward to coaching Panarin again, calling him a "game-breaker."
“He’s not just a goal-scorer,” Laviolette said, h/t The Athletic's Eric Stephens. “He’s not just a playmaker. He’s elusive and shifty. He can change a game on any given night. I’m really excited to work with him again. I loved working with him in New York, and I’ll get that opportunity again.”
Peter Laviolette says he 'loved working with' Artemi Panarin on Rangers as duo reunite with Kings
Laviolette is an offensive-minded coach, and his scheme fit well for Panarin during their short time together in New York. Look no further than the 2023-24 season, where he put up a career-high 49 goals and 120 points in 82 games. That insane production helped the Rangers win the President's Trophy for best record in the regular season. The Rangers went on to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were just two wins short of making the Stanley Cup Final.
Obviously, there was the following season, which was an unmitigated disaster for the Rangers, as the roster looked lost and disinterested throughout the campaign. Unsurprisingly, the Rangers missed out on the playoffs. Once the season ended, Laviolette was let go.
For Laviolette, he is a coach that can turn teams into winners, even if he only has one Stanley Cup title to show for it. After all, he got the Rangers close to an Eastern Conference Chamionship in his first season with the Rangers. Not to mention, he led the Philadelphia Flyers and Nashville Predators to conference titles. However, there is a decline in wins in every one of his tenures, ultimately leading to his departure.
He is joining a Kings team that looked outmatched against the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. Even though this will be their first season without Anze Kopitar, who retired after this season, they made the big move ahead of the trade deadline to bring in Panarin and signed him to a two-year, $22 million contract. Not to mention the team still has some big stars in Drew Dougthy and Adrian Kempe. This is a team that is hoping to make a run. If Laviolette pushes the right buttons, he has shown he can take a team far.
It might be worth monitoring what Laviolette and Panarin can do with the Kings next season.
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