NHL coaching changes tracker: Kings tap veteran Peter Laviolette as new head coach

NHL coaching changes tracker: Kings tap veteran Peter Laviolette as new head coach originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The NHL offseason is always full of drama, and it usually begins with the coaching carousel.

During the year, many teams made coaching changes as they tried to spark their clubs for a playoff push, with some finding more success than others. After the regular season ended, teams then made final decisions on coaches who were in charge during disappointing campaigns.

Typically, teams that fire head coaches are facing high expectations or undergoing regime changes, as they seek a new voice in the locker room moving forward. In recent years, it has seemed like no head coach is truly safe as long as teams feel there is a better option on the market.

Here’s a look at the coaching changes so far in 2026.

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2026 NHL head coaching changes

TeamFired CoachReplacementBlue JacketsDean EvasonRick BownessLos Angeles KingsJim HillerPeter LavioletteVegas Golden KnightsBruce CassidyJohn TortorellaNew York IslandersPatrick RoyPete DeBoerToronto Maple LeafsCraig BerubeEdmonton OilersKris KnoblauchVancouver CanucksAdam FooteManny Malhotra

MORE: Ranking the best candidates to replace Craig Berube

NHL hired coaches 2026

Peter Laviolette, Kings

The 61-year-old Laviolette will take over the Kings for his seventh head coaching stint since his first job in 2001. Previously, Laviolette coached the Islanders, Hurricanes, Flyers, Predators, Capitals and Rangers, leading Carolina to a Stanley Cup championship in 2006 and both Philadelphia and Nashville to Stanley Cup Final appearances. Laviolette’s 846 wins is currently the seventh-most by a coach in NHL history.  

Laviolette takes over a Kings team hoping to make a run at the Stanley Cup Final next year. Los Angeles has lost in the first round in each of the last five seasons, and the team has not made it to the second round since it won the Stanley Cup in 2014.

Manny Malhotra, Canucks

In the first coaching hire of the season, Vancouver elected to promote Manny Malhotra from the team’s AHL affiliate Abbotsford Canucks to the pros, giving the former Canuck player his first crack at an NHL head coaching gig. With Abbotsford, Malhotra coached the team to a Calder Cup win in his first season in 2024-25. The club missed the playoffs this last season. 

The move comes on the heels of an overhaul in the front office, with Henrik and Daniel Sedin re-joining the organization as co-presidents of hockey operations, while Ryan Johnson takes over as general manager. It’s also no coincidence that Malhotra’s son, Caleb, is one of the top NHL Draft prospects and with Vancouver holding the No. 3 pick, it’s very likely the father-son duo could be reunited on the Canucks. 

Pete DeBoer, Islanders

Like the Golden Knights, the Islanders fired head coach Patrick Roy late in the regular season, hoping to ignite the team by hiring Pete DeBoer. Unlike Vegas, though, the Islanders missed the playoffs as their struggles continued.

Still, the Islanders got a jump start on hiring DeBoer, who would’ve been a hot coaching candidate in the offseason for teams making a coaching change. DeBoer brings a wealth of experience with many deep playoff runs despite never winning a Stanley Cup title.

John Tortorella, Golden Knights

Just weeks before the playoffs, the Golden Knights fired Bruce Cassidy, who led the team to a Stanley Cup championship in 2023, as Vegas was sputtering down the stretch. In Cassidy’s place, Vegas hired veteran coach John Tortorella in hopes that he would spark the team.

Thus far, the gamble has worked. Under Tortorella, the Golden Knights have won two playoff rounds and are facing the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference finals. The playoff run likely means that the Golden Knights will keep Tortorella for next year and beyond.

Rick Bowness, Blue Jackets

Veteran coach Rick Bowness took over for the Blue Jackets in the middle of January, leading Columbus to a 21-11-5 record in the final 37 games. However, the Blue Jackets failed to make the playoffs in the final week of the regular season despite playing better under Bowness.

After the final game of the season, Bowness heavily criticized the team’s effort while making the case that he would change the culture if he got the chance to come back. It seemed like that speech worked, as Columbus hired Bowness full-time for the 2026-27 season and beyond. The Blue Jackets mark the eighth team for whom Bowness has been a head coach.