Peter Laviolette
While looking at unemployed coaches, this name snuck up on me. The previous two names screamed out at me and I assume they did to most people as well. Babcock is always talked about when talking about the best coaches and Gallant has been put in that discussion in recent years as well. Laviolette seems to fly under the radar.
Laviolette has coached in the NHL for around 17 seasons. Give and take a few years due to firings. He has coached in 1,210 career games and he’s won 637 of them. He’s made the playoffs ten times in his career having a 75-68 record in the postseason.
Laviolette has also made the Stanley Cup Final in each of his last three stops. He won the Cup in Carolina in his first full season there, he lost to Chicago in the Final in his first year in Philadelphia and he lost to the Penguins in his third year in Nashville.
This guy is a winner. If he can’t come in and demand some respect, who can? If this Capitals team won’t play hard for a guy who has won as much as Laviolette has then this team has serious issues.