The Kings are poised to name Peter Laviolette as their head coach, sources confirmed to Sportsnet.
D.J. Smith finished the year as interim coach of the Kings, who were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It marked the team’s fifth consecutive first-round playoff exit.
Smith, a former Ottawa Senators head coach, and Anaheim Ducks assistant and former Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft also were in the mix for the job before the Kings picked Laviolette.
Laviolette, 61, has been a head coach for 1,594 career NHL games with the New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders.
He won the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006 and was runner-up in 2010 with the Flyers and 2017 with Nashville.
Laviolette took a year off coaching this past season after his two-year run with the Rangers ended with his team missing the playoffs in 2024-25.
The Kings’ hire leaves just the Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs as teams with head-coaching vacancies. Laviolette previously interviewed with the Maple Leafs, per Friedman.
