Peter Laviolette has been named head coach of the Los Angeles Kings which brings him back to the NHL and out of the running for the Maple Leafs job.
Laviolette has made the rounds as a potential head coach for a couple of weeks now, and it seems like the Los Angeles Kings were the team who wanted him the most; taking him over both Jay Woodcroft and DJ Smith.
The Maple Leafs were a team that were in the mix for him, but now they need to shift their focus elsewhere.
The Kings have been searching for a head coach since placing the interim tag on Smith after firing Jim Hiller after a 24-21-14 record; not exactly playoff calibre. Smith helped lead them into the postseason where they were snuffed out in four games by the Colorado Avalanche and said goodbye to Anze Kopitar.
Peter Laviolette heads to sunny California after being hired to lead the Los Angeles Kings
But with Kevin Weekes' tweet regarding Laviolette and David Pagnotta's report to keep an eye on Laviolette, it was only a matter of time before the team made the announcement:
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Well that announcement has come, as the Kings announced Laviolette as the 31st head coach of the Kings franchise:
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Laviolette comes to the Kings with a 846-562-25-161 record which includes a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2005-2006, and both an Eastern and Western Conference Championship.
He will look to help transform a roster that has a ton of potential but also holding onto some veteran pieces near the end of their career. They already lost Kopitar to retirement and it could be that Drew Doughty is also headed towards that path in the near future.
Toronto misses out on Laviolette as they shift their focus to the second round of interviews
The Maple Leafs were a team who had Laviolette in the mix as a serious candidate to be their new coach and he put together a pretty solid audition albeit indirectly.
But with him headed to LA, their focus needs to shift to their shortlist which reportedly includes former Dallas Stars and San Jose standout Joe Pavelski, and according to Pierre LeBrun - those interviews are coming up soon:
In person interviews start this week in Maple Leafs' coaching search process. The second phase. Believe that will include about five candidates.
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With reports that Pavelski is likely interviewing then that leaves four spots. We know Patrick Roy is still in the mix, as is potentially Marlies head coach John Gruden (though he's focused on the Calder Cup Final right now).
That leaves room for one more coach on that five-person list, so it's really getting down into the nitty gritty and much like LA, we may see the Maple Leafs making a similar announcement in the near future.
Laviolette gets a chance to coach with a bit less pressure and has a solid roster to work with. He would have been great for Toronto but it sounds like they have other plans in mind.
Do you think Toronto should have hired Peter Laviolette?
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
The Maple Leafs' new head coach is right under their nose