Ex-Rangers Presidents' Cup Winning Coach Eyes A Return To NHL

 

Peter Laviolette has experienced winning a Stanley Cup championship once during his NHL career as a head coach and has sought to replicate that experience elsewhere. 

After his 2005-06 victory with the Carolina Hurricanes, Laviolette has coached four other teams in the NHL, including the Washington Capitals, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, and the New York Rangers. 

The Rangers team, which he coached to a Presidents' Trophy victory in 2023-24, had a record of 55-23-4, earning the top spot in the NHL with 112 points. As we've seen before, the Rangers regressed in 2024-25, with a record of 39-36-7, and 5th in the Metropolitan Division. 

Laviolette was fired by general manager Chris Drury, and in his place, the team hired Mike Sullivan, the former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach. Sullivan's record turned out to be worse: 34-39-7, and 8th in the Metropolitan Division in 2025-26.

Sullivan hasn't fared any better, as the team that GM Drury has built in recent seasons has underperformed since their Presidents' Trophy victory. 

 Laviolette hasn't coached any hockey teams since his firing from the Rangers at the end of last season, but he has expressed his desire to return to the bench after taking a year off. 

“Now, sitting here and watching the playoffs, you just want to get back out there and get after it again,” Laviolette said via NHL Network. “But we’ll see what happens. 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.”

Will Peter Laviolette Rejoin the NHL Coaching Carousel?

Given how this scenario has played out for other ex-NHL coaches, the pathway back to the league doesn't look bright. 

If we use Gerard Gallant as an example, teams refused to give him another chance after his two-year tenure with the Rangers, despite his short-term success. Gallant would take the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Florida Panthers in 2022, and lost in the first round in 2023. 

 He was recently hired as the head coach of the KHL's Shanghai Dragons, but would leave the club in Jan. 2026 due to health concerns. 

Laviolette's path may not have as many obstacles back to the NHL, but one-season removed is the death knell of some former NHL coaches careers, as seen above. 

Danny Wild-Imagn Images