The One Word Peter Laviolette Said That Tells You Everything About the Kings' Next Season

Alright, Emerald City, listen up! The LA Kings made a move that screams "we are NOT going to be boring anymore!" They officially brought in Peter Laviolette as their new head coach, and trust me, this isn't about playing shutdown hockey. General Manager Ken Holland laid it out plain: this guy is here to kick-start their lagging offense, full stop. This isn't your daddy's Kings, the ones who won those two Stanley Cups back in 2012 and 2014 playing super defense-first. This is a complete flip, and the league is gonna feel it.

LA's Desperate Bet on "Attack"

Let's be real, the Kings have been stuck in the mud. After those Cup wins, they haven't sniffed a postseason series victory. Their offense has been rough, only cracking the top-12 scoring offenses *twice* since 2012. Last season? A brutal 29th in scoring, and they got swept by the Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs. Ouch. That's why Jim Hiller got axed back in March. Even interim coach D.J. Smith managed a little offensive uptick to get them to the playoffs for a fifth straight season, but it wasn't enough. Laviolette, a well-traveled coach with stints in Carolina, Philadelphia, and Nashville, among others, is all about aggression. He wants more offense off the rush, more in transition, a full-on "attack-orientated game." He even said it himself: "Through my experiences, and even just watching the playoffs right now, this is an attack-orientated game, and you have to be willing to move." He knows five-on-five scoring is the hardest, so expect them to push the pace. This is a massive shift from their old identity, and it's a bold one.

Can Laviolette Unlock the Kings' Weapons?

So, what kind of offensive firepower is Laviolette bringing to the table? He's got a track record of immediate offensive output and playoff success. Look at Artemi Panarin: he set career highs in goals and points under Laviolette with the Rangers in 2023-24, a year they won the Presidents' Trophy. Panarin was traded to LA in February, and he put up 9 goals and 18 assists in 26 regular-season games for the Kings. Laviolette's pumped for that reunion, saying Panarin "can change a game on any given night." Plus, he's familiar with Kevin Fiala from their time in Nashville. But here's the kicker: the Kings' blue line was a creative black hole, a major reason for that 29th-place ranking. Their defensemen combined for only 23 goals and 110 assists last season. In the playoffs against Colorado, they managed a pathetic one goal and one assist. Holland hinted at potential defensive personnel changes, but Laviolette isn't waiting around. He's making it clear there won't be "two sets of plans" for offensive versus defensive D-men. Everyone's expected to implement his aggressive, attack-first vision. What does this mean for hockey in the West? The Kings are clearly fed up with losing in the first round, and they're throwing everything at offense. Will Laviolette's aggressive "attack" style actually translate to wins, especially if that D-corps doesn't step up? We'll be watching from the Emerald City to see if this big swing pays off. It's gonna be a wild season for LA, that's for sure!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.