Can Peter Laviolette Mask The Holes The Kings Roster Has?

The way their 2025-26 season unfolded – and the way their 2026 off-season is turning out – the Los Angeles Kings are a curious team.

On the one hand, they've made moves to solidify their team for the long term. However, the Kings still have many flaws – and anyone who saw them get steamrolled by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of this year's Stanley Cup playoffs knows how far L.A. has to go before they're a legitimate Cup front-runner.

This week, Kings GM Ken Holland made another win-now move when he hired former New York Rangers coach Peter Laviolette to replace interim coach D.J. Smith as L.A.'s new bench boss.

If Laviolette were a player who bounced around the league, the word "journeyman" would apply to him. But Laviolette is an NHL lifer because he's proven he can take a veteran-laden roster and deliver positive results – at least in the short term.

Artemi Panarin Reunion Signals Kings' Offensive Reboot Under Peter Laviolette

Artemi Panarin's reunion with Peter Laviolette headlines a sweeping philosophical shift in Los Angeles, where the Kings are betting that an attack-first identity can finally end a decade of early playoff exits.

The Rangers do have significant cap space, and the Kings currently have $18.3 million. But while the Blueshirts have some $26.5 million in space, they don't have a deep UFA group to spend it on. So internal improvement will be vital for the Rangers' playoff hopes in 2026-27.

Really, you can say just about all of the same things about the Kings. They have to fill the hole Kopitar has left, and they have to spend some of their cap space on Clarke, who will be an RFA this summer. But here's the biggest question: where's the franchise talent for this Kings team?

The Edmonton Oilers have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The San Jose Sharks have Macklin Celebrini, and the Vegas Golden Knights have Jack Eichel.

The Kings, on the other hand, do not have any franchise-altering talents. They'd been hoping Byfield would be one, but that hasn't been the case, and while Panarin is a talented player, at 34 years old, he's just not that player anymore.

So, while Los Angeles is a preferred destination for many, if not most, NHL players, the Kings haven't been able to acquire a Grade-A, first-rate superstar to compete on the same level as other true superstars.

The Kings Are Betting Big on Peter Laviolette-and History Isn't on Their Side

Peter Laviolette brings a Stanley Cup pedigree to Los Angeles, but his history of fast starts and equally fast declines makes this one of the Kings' most intriguing-and risky-hires in years.

This is all adding up to be a crossroads moment for the Kings. Holland may have a win-now mandate, and he has an impressive eight first-or-second-round draft picks in the next three drafts.

That might lead you to believe L.A. has decided to build through the draft, but we can see Holland instead choosing to spend some of those picks on difference-making players this coming year. At a point in time when first-and-second-round picks are worth their weight in gold, Holland could command a massive return for one or two of them.

This feels like a playoffs-or-bust L.A. team, and at this point, we're feeling like the Kings are going to be a bust. Los Angeles is in danger of being passed by the Sharks and Anaheim Ducks, but the best route for the Kings to be a true Cup front-runner may mean L.A. has to take backward steps before they eventually make a renewed push up the Pacific standings.

This is why the Kings bear a lot of attention this summer. The way Holland moves this off-season will dictate the direction for L.A., and the Kings must take a cold-blooded look at where they stand in the NHL's pecking order.

Once they do so, it should be clear that major changes are needed, and a new era for the Kings must be ushered in as soon as possible. Los Angeles can be a hockey hotbed again, but their current place in the competitive cycle means there'll need to be patience for them as they regroup.

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This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 10:46 AM.