Peter Laviolette In Contention for New York Rangers’ Job

Peter Laviolette was behind the Flyers’ bench when they pulled off one of the great comebacks in NHL history.

The Flyers trailed the Bruins, 3-0, in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals. Philadelphia fought back to tie the series, then trailed 3-0 in Game 7. The Flyers won, 4-3, and eventually lost to the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup finals.

Laviolette was behind the bench when the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006, captained by Rod Brind’Amour. He led the Predators to the Cup final in 2017.

Coaches with this kind of resume power tend to have a long shelf life. They get redemptive chances to duplicate those accomplishments by franchises longing for the magic.

The New York Rangers could quench that thirst soon. Reports indicate that Laviolette is a serious candidate for the Rangers’ head-coaching job.

The Rangers have a good team looking for that final push that could win them a Cup. New York had 107 points this season, and a first-round loss to the Devils. Last season, they had 110 points and a conference final loss to the Lightning.

Moving On From Capitals

Laviolette is available after he agreed to “mutually part ways” with the Capitals after the season. The Capitals missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years. Laviolette is under contract with Washington until June 30.

The Capitals were 115-78-27 in Laviolette’s three years, losing in the first round of the playoffs in 2021 and 2022.

He is a NHL coaching lifer. He’s been behind a bench for 21 seasons for five teams. He’s had seven 100-point seasons. That’s why teams come calling.

Laviolette, 58, coached the Flyers for five seasons, 2009-13. He was fired after an 0-3 start.

Laviolette has coached so long that ties were part of the NHL structure. His career record is 752 wins, 503 losses, 25 ties and 50 overtime losses.

That’s 1,430 NHL games, more experience than most. He’s 11th in games coached — 35 games fewer than John Tortorella, by the way — in league history.

That experience and history is why teams with coaching openings turn to guys who’ve touched the Stanley Cup with both hands during a wild celebration on the ice.

Game 2 (Vegas leads the series, 1-0)

Who: Florida Panthers at Vegas Golden Knights

What: Stanley Cup Final

When: 8 p.m. Monday

Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

TV: TNT

How Florida got here: Defeated Boston in 5; defeated Toronto in 5; defeated Carolina in 4.

How Vegas got here: Defeated Winnipeg in 5; defeated Edmonton in 6; defeated Dallas in 6

Game 1: Vegas 5, Florida 2

Game 3: Vegas at Florida, 8 p.m. Thursday, TNT

Flyers, In Case You Missed It:

Will Nolan Patrick get his name engraved on Stanley Cup if Vegas wins?

What strategy should the Flyers employ in draft? Conservative? Swing for a home run?

Around The National Hockey Network:

Vegas Hockey Now: Golden Knights kept Matthew Tkachuk away from the net in Game 1 victory. Plus, Vegas knows its focus has to be on Game 2.

Florida Hockey Now: Matthew Tkachuk has rough opening night in Stanley Cup finals. Plus, Panthers hope to follow the lead of the Miami Heat, who lost in Game 1 of their series on the road but bounced back in Game 2.

Boston Hockey Now: Bruins are likely to lose unrestricted free agent defenseman Dmitry Orlov.

Buffalo Hockey Now: The five steps the Sabres must take to get back into the playoffs.

Detroit Hockey Now: Former Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock returning with Blue Jackets.

Los Angeles Hockey Now: Looking at the best and worst of the Kings’ contracts

Montreal Hockey Now: Memorial Cup goaltenders could help solve Canadiens’ weakness.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Penguins looking for cheap and fast free agents.

Memorial Cup

The Quebec Remparts won the Memorial Cup by defeating the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-0, in Kamloops, British Columbia, on Sunday night. The Remparts are coached by Patrick Roy, who recently indicated he would be interested in an NHL coaching job. Former Flyers winger Simon Gagne is a Remparts assistant coach.