Peter Laviolette wants to return to coaching after 2025 Rangers firing

It’s been just over a calendar year since Peter Laviolette coached in the National Hockey League. The 61-year-old enjoyed a hugely successful season with the New York Rangers in 2023-24, leading the team to a 55-23-4 record and a President’s Trophy win.

The Blueshirts ended up losing to the eventual Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final, in a hard-fought six-game series. But New York missed the postseason altogether the next year, and that led to general manager Chris Drury firing him in April of 2025.

Now, the 2006 champion is looking to get back behind the bench.

“Sitting here and watching the playoffs, you just want to get back out there and get after it again. But we’ll see what happens,” he told the NHL Network’s First Shift earlier this week.

“I think it’s been good, just from a refreshing standpoint. Sometimes you just take a minute, take a beat and get your mind back on track, and that’s where things are right now.”

This is the first NHL season in 25 years where Laviolette hasn’t been behind a bench, and it looks like he’s got no plans to retire just yet. He’s led three different teams to the Stanley Cup Final, and helped the Carolina Hurricanes win their maiden championship in 2006.

He’s a prolific coach, currently seventh all-time with 846 wins, along with 88 postseason victories. But what are his options for 2026-27?

The Los Angeles Kings currently have DJ Smith in an interim role, while the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs recently hired new general managers. There’s no guarantee that Sheldon Keefe and Craig Berube are back with their respective clubs next season.

The last-place Vancouver Canucks are also an option, as they are in the midst of a GM search and could realistically replace head coach Adam Foote ahead of October.

There’s certainly a path back to NHL coaching for Laviolette, as veterans John Tortorella and Peter DeBoer were recently hired to lead the Vegas Golden Knights and New York Islanders, respectively.

For a coach as decorated as Laviolette, it’s unlikely that he will remain a free agent for too long. It’ll be interesting to see if he lands another job before next season.

The post Peter Laviolette wants to return to coaching after 2025 Rangers firing appeared first on ClutchPoints.