Kings Hire Peter Laviolette As Head Coach
June 9th: The Kings have formalized the hiring through a team announcement. Laviolette officially becomes the 32nd head coach in team history.
June 8th: According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Los Angeles Kings have hired Peter Laviolette as their new head coach. Friedman mentioned that Laviolette was anticipated to be a finalist for the head coaching positions with both the Edmonton Oilers and the Toronto Maple Leafs had he not accepted the Kings’ offer. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun shared that Laviolette has agreed to a three-year deal with the Kings.
Los Angeles will be the seventh team that Laviolette has served as head coach with, and only his second in the Western Conference. The last time Laviolette coached a team in the West was with the Nashville Predators until he was relieved of duties partway through the 2019-20 season.
Throughout his 23-year coaching career, Laviolette has had tremendous success. His head coaching career began back in the 2001-02 season, when Laviolette spent two years with the New York Islanders. The franchise had struggled for years before Laviolette had arrived, and he managed to guide the team back to the postseason in both years.
Still, despite the return to relevance, the Islanders weren’t inspired by Laviolette coaching the team back into the postseason, and he was fired in the summer leading up to the 2003-04 season. It didn’t take long for him to find a new job as the Carolina Hurricanes hired him partway through the next season.
Although his first half-year with the team didn’t go well, nobody has any complaints about how the team did the following year. After returning from the 2005 lockout, Laviolette guided the Hurricanes to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2002, and the organization’s first and only championship, defeating the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.
Unfortunately, largely due to injuries, Carolina was unable to repeat their success under Laviolette, and the team parted ways with him after 25 games into the 2008-09 season. He spent the next year on the open market before landing with the Philadelphia Flyers early on in the 2009-10 season.
Similar to his start with the Hurricanes, Laviolette achieved quick success with his new organization. The recent Stanley Cup winner stewarded the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Final that season, albeit losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. Outside of reaching the Cup Final, Philadelphia also became the third team to come back from a 3-0 series deficit, overcoming the Boston Bruins in the semifinals.
The Flyers remained competitive during Laviolette’s tenure, but never achieved the same playoff success. Eventually, after getting off to a winless start in three games at the beginning of the 2013-14 campaign, Philadelphia let go of Laviolette.
Heading into the 2014-15 campaign, Laviolette was hired by the Nashville Predators to become the team’s second head coach in franchise history, replacing Barry Trotz, who had departed for the Washington Capitals. Like his time with Carolina and Philadelphia, Laviolette helped his team to the Stanley Cup Final relatively early into his tenure.
Under Laviolette, the Predators reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history in 2017, but would ultimately fall short of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He remained in Nashville for three more years before being fired during the 2019-20 season.
Since then, Laviolette has had a three-year run as head coach of the Washington Capitals and another two with the New York Rangers. Both teams played well in the regular season, but couldn’t get over the hump and back to the Stanley Cup Final. He has not coached since the Rangers fired him after the 2024-25 campaign.
Beginning in the 2001-02 season, Laviolette has compiled a head coaching record of 846-562-25-161 for a win percentage of .589. He has guided three teams to the Stanley Cup Final, winning once, and has two Presidents’ Trophies.
Laviolette’s head coaching tactics should be a stark transition for the Kings, who have been branded as a defensive-minded team for the past several years. Under Laviolette, who emphasizes quick transitions and aggressive gap control on defense, the team is expected to have greater success in scoring goals simply due to an improved system.
Additionally, it’s likely that Los Angeles forward Artemi Panarin had a hand in Laviolette’s hire. Panarin, who could very likely become the new face of the franchise for the Kings since Anže Kopitar retired. Panarin had the best season of his career under Laviolette, scoring 49 goals and 120 points in 82 games during the 2023-24 campaign.
Still, given his track record, it’s hard to say how this hiring will work out in the long run. Laviolette typically gets off to quick starts with new teams, but struggles to keep up the success long-term. However, the Kings may be trying to prevent this by limiting their offer to a three-year deal.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel of Imagn Images.
Panthers Sign Cooper Black To Two-Year Contract
Given that Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov could depart the organization in free agency this summer, the Florida Panthers are doing everything they can to keep most of their goaltending depth intact. The Panthers announced that they’ve signed netminder Cooper Black to a two-year, two-way contract.
Black, 24, recently wrapped up his second professional season. He’s a relative success story, grinding it out with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers only five years before committing to Dartmouth College ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. His first season at Dartmouth didn’t go well, with Black finishing with a 5-23-1 record in 30 games with a .899 SV% and 3.07 GAA.
Despite the bad performance, Black remained with the program for what would be his last season in the NCAA. The next year went much better, managing a 13-8-8 record in 30 games with a .910 SV% and 2.58 GAA. Although the Big Green finished fourth in the ECAC Conference, they were eliminated in the conference semifinals by Cornell.
Still, that was enough for the Panthers to give him a shot, and they inked Black to his entry-level contract that same year. He played a few games with the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates, but primarily played for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers during the 2024-25 campaign. Black finished with an 11-4-2 record in 17 games with a .910 SV% and 1.98 GAA.
Finally, Black was given the reins for the 2025-26 season, and he turned it into a decent year. The Alpena, MI native managed a 25-13-4 record in 43 games with a .903 SV% and 2.47 GAA. Unfortunately, Black couldn’t keep that success going in the Calder Cup playoffs, and the Checkers were eliminated in three games.
Unless something goes horribly wrong this offseason, there’s little chance of Black beginning the 2026-27 season with the Panthers. Even with the likely exit of Bobrovsky and Tarasov, Black will remain Florida’s third-string option heading into next season.
Joona Koppanen Signs With SHL’s Lulea HF
June 8th: Nearly three months later, Koppanen has finally left the Penguins organization. According to a report from Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune-Review, Koppanen has signed with the SHL’s Luleå HF.
March 10th: Penguins pending UFA center Joona Koppanen is expected to sign with Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League for next year, as noted by David Olsson Jiglund of Kuriren. He won’t technically be a UFA until July 1, but he can formalize an agreement with them when SHL free agency opens in May, after the NHL regular season is over.
Koppanen, 28, was a fifth-round pick by the Bruins in 2016. He didn’t make his NHL debut until six years later, which turned out to be his final season in the Boston organization. He became a Group VI unrestricted free agent in 2023 and signed a two-year deal with Pittsburgh, where he’s remained ever since, primarily as a big AHL depth piece with some call-up utility.
The 6’5″, 216-lb Finn has appeared in 30 NHL games over the past four seasons, 27 of which have come in Pittsburgh. He has just one goal and two assists, though, along with a -4 rating while averaging 11:55 of ice time per game. He’s below-average on draws and, while he’s provided fine possession metrics in heavy defensive usage, hasn’t excelled there either. That makes his low point totals in double-digit minutes per game too much of a net negative to give him an extended look, even if he does provide an effective physical presence, averaging two hits per game.
In the AHL, Koppanen has been a consistent, two-way, middle-six forward. He almost always averages around a half a point per game, including a 6-10–16 scoring line with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.
Koppanen will now play in a top-level European league for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign. He spent all of his post-draft campaign in Finland’s junior circuit before Boston signed him to an entry-level deal. For 2017-18, they loaned him to Ilves in Finland’s first division, Liiga, for most of the year before bringing him over to North America for the rest of his tenure in the organization. He then returned to Ilves on loan during the COVID-shortened 2021 season before AHL games got underway.
He’ll join a Luleå team that won its first SHL championship since 1996 last year. They’re relatively light on NHL experience for a big-name European club, though. Leading the way with 91 games from 2010-14 is 37-year-old defenseman Erik Gustafsson (not the current Red Wings depth name).
Mammoth Sign Vadim Moroz To Two-Year, Entry-Level Contract
The Utah Mammoth have signed 2023 third-round pick Vadim Moroz to a two-year, entry-level contract. Moroz recently wrapped up his fourth season with the KHL’s HC Dinamo. He was a breakout scorer for Minsk, even setting a franchise-record for scoring by a U23 player with 44 points in the 2024-25 season. Moroz’s contract will carry a $1.01375M cap hit per PuckPedia.
Moroz’s scoring dwindled to 29 points in 54 games of the 2025-26 season but his on-ice impact stayed much the same. The 23-year-old winger has earned his keep with responsible and engaged hockey all over the ice, often staying true to his spot and quick to make a play on loose pucks. He boasts the fine skating and puck-control needed to drive play all the way down the ice, while also carrying plenty of oomph in a 6-foot-2 frame.
The Belarusian will face an uphill battle moving from the KHL’s highest scoring offense into a rugged role with the Mammoth – but his success could prove an X-factor down the road. He was a versatile play-driver with scoring upside in Russia and could bring the same impact from a middle-six role if his talents carry over. First, Moroz will likely have to brave the test of the AHL – a challenge he should be well set for after scoring 109 points in 222 career KHL games.
Kings Sign Aatu Jamsen To One-Year Extension
The Kings took care of one of their pending restricted free agents on Friday. The team announced that they’ve signed forward Aatu Jamsen to a one-year, two-way extension for next season. The deal will pay $850K at the NHL level.
The 23-year-old was a seventh-round pick by Los Angeles back in 2020, going 190th overall. He took the long route toward signing as he spent the next four seasons playing with Pelicans in his native Finland before signing ten days before his signing rights would have been relinquished. Over that time, his best season offensively came back in 2023-24 when he had 14 goals and 18 assists in 43 games.
Jamsen hasn’t had quite the same level of offensive success in North America, however. Last season, he put up seven goals and four assists in 36 games, missing multiple months due to injuries. This year was a healthier one as he suited up in 59 contests where he notched 16 goals and 12 helpers. That was enough to earn him an extended look for next season.
Jamsen has one season of waiver exemption remaining so he won’t need to pass through unclaimed to return to AHL Ontario. It’s probable that he’ll be going back to the Reign over battling for a potential roster spot with the big club. Instead, the goal will likely be to perform well enough to get a chance to make his NHL debut at some point in the 2026-27 campaign.
Blues Sign Georgii Romanov To Two-Year Extension
The St. Louis Blues took care of a free agent this afternoon, re-upping goaltender Georgii Romanov on a two-year, two-way contract extension. The deal carries an AAV of $875k at the NHL level.
Undrafted out of Russia, Romanov was picked out by the Sharks in 2023, signing an entry level contract. Despite playing in just three KHL games to that point, otherwise holding the crease in the VHL, the 6’5″ netminder played in 29 games for the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL in 2023-24 and even made two NHL appearances, allowing just one goal in 59 minutes.
Continuing to get a share of starts for the Barracuda in the following season, alongside Yaroslav Askarov, Romanov posted a solid .905 save percentage. The young Russian was again thrust into the highest level, as the fifth goaltender to spend time in San Jose’s crease during the 2024-25 campaign. Romanov lost all six of his starts, not coming away with a win, but had a solid 3.89 goals-against-average facing a barrage on the 50-loss team, numbers on par with NHL mainstays of the time, Vítek Vaněček and Alexander Georgiev.
With Askarov expectedly taking the spotlight, Romanov departed San Jose last summer, settling for a PTO with the Devils. Not landing a contract, he was then scooped up by St. Louis in October. Taking 28 games as opposed to Vadim Zherenko‘s 42 for the Springfield Thunderbirds, Romanov rewarded the organization with tremendous play in the postseason, getting hot with a .939 save percentage and two shutouts in 11 playoff games.
As Zherenko is a group six free agent this summer, Romanov’s path to #1 for the Thunderbirds and third in the organization is wide open. At age 26, he has flashed enough potential to have real late-blooming NHL upside, and Blues fans should expect him to make his debut with the club at some point next season. As the franchise navigates their youth movement, possibly moving on from Jordan Binnington, the Russian’s continued progression could soften the blow of losing Colten Ellis on waivers to Buffalo.
Marcus Johansson Signs In Sweden
Longtime NHL forward Marcus Johansson has signed with Färjestad BK of the SHL, the team announced today, departing the Minnesota Wild. The news was confirmed by Michael Russo of The Athletic.
One decade since his breakout 24 goal campaign, the 35-year-old has bounced around several teams since then as a moderate contributor. Still, he had become a valuable piece for Minnesota over the past four seasons, somewhat quietly putting together a strong 2025-26 where he notched 49 points in 75 games. That output is good for his second best in 16 seasons.
By no means walking away from North America due to his ability at the NHL level, the development is a bit surprising. Although speculation, it suggests that the Wild’s offseason priorities align elsewhere, with the veteran opting to return to his native country on a high note, rather than start over on what could have become his seventh NHL club.
Chosen 24th overall by the Capitals in the 2009 draft, Johansson’s 1,058 regular season NHL appearances stand as ninth best of the class, also ranking tenth among such peers in points (566).
A name synonymous with Washington throughout recent memory, he was dealt to New Jersey during the 2017 offseason, unfortunately missing out on their Stanley Cup the following spring. One of those selections became Martin Fehérváry, a minute-eating shutdown defender who remains a key piece of the Capitals today.
Unable to replicate his breakout 58 point campaign in Newark, the forward was on the move again at the trade deadline, off to Boston where he found his stride as a key third liner. The winger posted 11 points on the Bruins’ playoff run, highlighted by his game-winning goal in the deciding first round series versus Toronto, as they went all the way to Game 7 of the Finals before falling to St. Louis.
Cashing in from his playoff efforts, Johansson inked a two-year contract with Buffalo worth $4.5MM per season. Only making it through one year with the Sabres, where he put up 30 points in 60 games, the next fall he was on the move again. Traded to the Wild for Eric Staal, it was a deal with salary in mind, and finding a fresh start for each veteran. He didn’t make much of an impact with Minnesota, moving on after 14 points in 36 games and signing a one year contract with the expansion Seattle Kraken for $1.5 million. Nobody then would have guessed that he’d ever have more to offer in the state of hockey years later.
Becoming a journeyman, he was traded by Seattle back to Washington at the 2022 trade deadline, but his Caps were sent packing by Florida in six games. The Capitals weren’t the only team intent on a reunion, as that summer he signed back with the Wild, where he’s been ever since. Johansson excelled on a line with Matt Boldy, keeping up his strong regular season play with three tallies against Colorado in the second round.
Affectionately known by fans as “MoJo”, Johansson was traded in-season three times during his career, a player always having value as a middle-six forward. At the same time, all the changes likely played a part in his decision to seek stability back home. It serves as a return to his original club, as a member of Färjestad from 2008-10, winning a league championship in 2009 before embarking on his long NHL career.
Johansson also represented his nation on the highest international stage, a member of Team Sweden in the Olympic Games both in 2014 and this past February. He took home silver 12 years ago, while skating in two games for the Swedes in Milan, coming away scoreless.
Coming back to his original Swedish club, Johansson will mentor Flyers prospect Jack Berglund, joining former NHLers such as Radim Zohorna and Victor Ejdsell. It’s rare that a player of his caliber enters the league at this point, and Johansson should immediately be a top SHL scorer, challenging the likes of Skelleftea forward Oscar Lindberg, another player with NHL experience who took the honors this year with 67 points in 52 games. Färjestad finished fifth in the league this season, sent packing by Rogle in the quarterfinals, and the addition of a forward who was getting second line minutes in the Stanley Cup Playoffs just last month will have huge implications for their club.
Meanwhile, assuming this is it for Johansson in the NHL, the Swede put together one of the best careers out of 2009 draftees, and opened the scoring of Game 5 against the Avalanche, in what was likely his last NHL contest.
Image Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Flyers Sign Jacob Gaucher To One-Year Contract
According to a report from PuckPedia, the Philadelphia Flyers have signed forward Jacob Gaucher to a one-year, $850K contract for the 2026-27 season. Gaucher was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration rights.
Gaucher, 25, was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Flyers back in 2024. The Longueuil, Quebec native spent most of his QMJHL days with the Val-d’Or Foreurs before spending his final season with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar while also serving as the team’s captain.
Unfortunately, Gaucher didn’t produce enough in the QMJHL to warrant a draft selection. He scored 35 goals and 68 points in 66 games during his final season in 2021-22, but he already turned 21 by that point.
In fact, it wasn’t until a successful campaign in the ECHL that any team became interested in giving him an NHL contract. Before the 2022-23 season, Gaucher signed an AHL deal with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, yet he spent the entire year with the Reading Royals, scoring 22 goals and 61 points in 71 games with a +22 rating.
After that year, the Flyers felt comfortable giving him a two-year, two-way contract, but he’s still spent much of his time in the AHL since. He’s been a solid secondary scorer, registering 48 goals and 90 points in 198 games with the Phantoms, but has zero points to show for in eight NHL contests with the Flyers.
His next contract should offer him a similar role. The Phantoms didn’t have the best season, finishing four points shy of a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs, but Gaucher finished fourth on the team in scoring, and the organization likely has an interest in retaining the handful of players that performed well this season.
Canucks Sign Ilya Safonov To One-Year Contract
According to a team announcement, the Vancouver Canucks have signed forward Ilya Safonov to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2026-27 NHL season. According to PuckPedia, Safonov will earn an $850K salary at the NHL level and an $87.5K salary in the AHL. Additionally, he’s owed $100K in the form of a signing bonus.
Safonov, 25, was drafted 172nd overall in the 2021 NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. For a few years, it appeared that Safonov might remain in Russia for his professional career, and the Blackhawks traded his signing rights to the Canucks last year for future considerations.
After an impressive 2022-23 season with the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan, where he registered 19 goals and 37 points in 64 games, Safonov had a pair of down years. He barely exceeded his scoring output from the 2022-23 campaign, scoring 20 goals and 42 points in 118 games with a +20 rating.
However, the Murmansk, Russia native got back on track this year, scoring 16 goals and 33 points in 68 games with a +18 rating. In the Gagarin Cup playoffs, he tacked on two goals and nine points in 20 games, helping Ak Bars Kazan to the Gagarin Cup Final.
Given how the Canucks are constructed heading into the 2026-27 season, Safonov should be afforded every opportunity to make the team’s roster out of training camp. He’s a natural center, but could potentially move to the wing if it gives him more ice time at the NHL level. Regardless, whether it be in Vancouver or with the Abbotsford Canucks, Safonov will be playing in North America next season.
Central Notes: Sakic, Koivu, Holmes
Following today’s news that General Manager Chris MacFarland would be leaving the Colorado Avalanche to join their division rival, the Nashville Predators, speculation began regarding who would take over as the team’s General Manager in Denver. As it turns out, the search for a new General Manager only took a few minutes.
According to Bailey Curtis of DNVR Avalanche, the Avalanche sent out a public relations memo indicating that President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic would resume his role as the team’s General Manager. The franchise legend has already served as the team’s General Manager for eight years, and is largely credited with building the Colorado team that won the Stanley Cup in 2022. Although he retained his right to have the final call on roster decisions, Sakic hasn’t formally held the title since the Avalanche hired MacFarland in 2022.
Still, the memo didn’t indicate that it would be a long-term arrangement. It specifically stated that Sakic would be the General Manager through the 2026 NHL Draft and the beginning of the 2026-27 campaign. Colorado could wait until next offseason to promote from within, or hire a General Manager from outside the organization next year.
Additional notes from the Central Division:
- Long-time captain for the Minnesota Wild, Mikko Koivu, is returning to the Central Division — just not with Minnesota. According to a team announcement, the St. Louis Blues have hired Koivu to serve as a European development consultant. The Blues’ press release indicated that Koviu will assist with development plans for European prospects drafted by St. Louis. He has been working as an assistant and development coach for the Finnish Liiga’s TPS, alongside his older brother, Saku Koivu.
- A Chicago Blackhawks prospect is on the move in the OHL. According to a league announcement, the Sarnia Sting have acquired forward Parker Holmes from the Brantford Bulldogs for a 2028 third-round pick and a 2028 sixth-round pick. Holmes was taken with the 107th overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft by the Blackhawks, and scored six goals and 17 points in 49 games for the Bulldogs this past season.