Coming off their 2025-26 season, the LA Kings appear to be at a crossroads of sorts. Last summer, they were coming off the team’s most successful run of regular season hockey in franchise history. Averaging over 100 points in a four-year stretch, and capped off with a .640 points percentage, that narrative also came with four first round exits and the departure of Rob Blake as GM.
In came Ken Holland, who was expected to help get the team over the hump. Instead, the Kings just wrapped up a regression-filled season. After 90 points, a .540 points percentage, a lack of offense, another coach fired, and being swept out of the playoffs, many fans are rightfully upset.
Where does the team go from here, though? A rebuild isn’t coming anytime soon. Among many of the reasons behind that statement, not many NHL teams make the playoffs five straight years and then tear it down. So, there’s that.
In addition to searching for the magic formula that will elevate LA to the next level, Holland has several holes to fill this summer — primarily, the three C’s: coach, center, captain.
Leaving the latter pair of topics for a different article, let’s focus on the coach. This part of the conversation will eventually turn to, what type of coach do the Kings need to help them get out of the first round?
Current interim coach D.J. Smith will be given consideration as part of the search, a point covered here. What about some outside candidates?
Here we go, in alphabetical order…
Seven Coaching Candidates
Bruce Boudreau – Some will groan and call this another ‘retread’ hire. However, he fits the bill on a few fronts. He’s a name coach. He’s had success balancing young players and superstars, coalescing groups into a galvanized unit. He’s also somebody who likely comes with a reasonable price tag, a very real consideration. Making Todd McLellan the highest paid coach in the NHL didn’t solve the Kings playoff drought. That’s just a reality. He also hasn’t had any postseason success over the past 10 years. Boudreau went to the Conference Final with Anaheim in 2015. On the surface, this feels more like a hire for a team at the ‘building’ stage, not where the Kings are in May 2026.
Bruce Cassidy – Not sure about this guy? Just open up social media. Fanbases of several NHL teams are clamoring for their favorite club to hire Cassidy. He’s guided teams to the postseason nine straight seasons (and 10-of-11). His Bruins team reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 and he was bench boss for the Golden Knights when they won their Cup in 2023. Primarily viewed as a defensive specialist, he also likes to squeeze offense out of the blueline. Players like him initially, but the love doesn’t last forever (not quite Darryl Sutter-esque). Recently fired in Vegas, some expect him to become the highest paid coach in the league when he lands a new gig. Coming up on his 61st birthday in a few weeks, Cassidy has run the gauntlet, coaching in junior hockey, the minor leagues, and NHL. A former defenseman, he won the Memorial Cup while playing for legendary OHL coach Brian Kilrea — trivia note: the man who also scored the first goal in LA Kings franchise history.
Pat Ferschweiler – Here’s a dark horse candidate. He’s currently the coach at Western Michigan, where he won a National Championship in 2025. His name shows up here not because he had the Kings No. 1 goalie prospect (Hampton Slukynsky) as his netminder. That’s just a happy coincidence, actually. The real reason is his connection to Holland — and there’s almost always a connection in these situations. In short, Ferschweiler was an assistant coach for the Red Wings for five years, serving in both the AHL and NHL. There’s also a quasi-link to the Kings in there, as he was an assistant under former LA coach Andy Murray for three years at WMU. In the collegiate world, he’s one of the hottest names in coaching circles, trailing maybe only David Carle (who by all accounts, has no interest in leaving Denver). Hiring him in LA would likely be viewed as an off the board pick to some but actually considered quite the coup by many smart people in the hockey world.
Gerard Gallant – Another coach with ties back to LA’s current GM. They played together in the Red Wings organization early in their careers. While Holland went on to have a Hall of Fame career in Detroit’s front office, Gallant went on to coach for teams like Columbus, Florida, and Vegas. He’s been out of the NHL since 2023, but was still coaching in the KHL. His teams made Stanley Cup Playoff appearances in four of his last five seasons behind an NHL bench — including guiding the Golden Knights to a Cup Final in 2018; the same year he earned the Jack Adams Award as the league’s top coach. Known as a players’ coach, Gallant is highly regarded for his up-tempo teams, full use of his roster, and clear lines of accountability.
Peter Laviolette – An intriguing name, especially if Holland is looking to get the band back together, of sorts. Laviolette coached Artemi Panarin for several years with the Rangers and making a second run at center Vincent Trocheck this summer makes a ton of sense (LA tried at the Trade Deadline in March). When it comes to playoff success, there’s a rather strong resume to lean on here. Throughout NHL history, Laviolette is one of only four men to lead three different teams to the Stanley Cup Final: Carolina, Philadelphia, and Nashville. He’s known for setting high expectations and playing an aggressive brand of hockey. This would be a name hire with a strong pedigree to back up any question or situation thrown at him.
John Tortorella – As mentioned on NHL Radio a few weeks back, there was said to be mutual interest between Torts and Holland right before the veteran coach was hired by Vegas. Where things go with the Golden Knights remains to be seen because he’s reportedly only under contract through the end of the 2026 playoffs. In many ways, this feels like a marriage that would have been more possible if Vegas lost in the first round (meaning, bringing him in as a late-season replacement didn’t really pay off). With them now advancing to at least the second round, odds of Tortorella leaving Sin City may be shrinking by the day, therefore removing his name from true consideration.
Jay Woodcroft – Much like the name above, Woodcroft is currently tied to another team, so this could be very challenging to navigate. He’s in year one of a multi-year contract with LA’s longtime rival in Anaheim. Does he have an out clause that would allow him to move from the Ducks assistant coach to a head coach elsewhere? Last summer, Holland was believed to be keeping close tabs on various offers Woodcroft was pursuing, with some potential interest in finding a way to bring him into the fold at that time. The two have a history together during their time in Edmonton, so there’s some strong trust and recency. Thus, a potential reunion will be talked about quite a bit in the weeks ahead.
BONUS CANDIDATE: Patrick Roy – We’ll cut right to the chase on this one. We just don’t see him as a top tier candidate in LA at the moment. However, if Roy wasn’t included here, he’d likely be the first name asked about by people reading this article. He’s a fiery personality, who didn’t seem to finish the job in Colorado or New York, despite his success at the junior level. In fact, his five full seasons behind an NHL bench have been marked by three first round exits and twice missing the playoffs. Now, sure, some of that can be tied to roster construction, timing, etc. Yet, it still doesn’t sell easily as a ‘here’s the fix for LA’ solution.
Based on Holland’s comments last week, he plans to interview five to eight candidates, “some with experience, some maybe assistants, maybe one or two guys that haven’t been head coaches.” For more of his postseason comments, see the article linked below.
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