The Los Angeles Kings got their guy, naming Peter Laviolette the 32nd head coach in franchise history.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report Laviolette’s hiring, and when he did, he mentioned the Edmonton Oilers were among the other teams interested in hiring the veteran bench boss.

There’s a short list of head coaches with more games coached than Laviolette’s, whose 1,594 games rank ninth on the all-time list. He had fit the mould of a veteran coach with a winning track record, winning the Stanley Cup with the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes, but hasn’t reached the pinnacle since. He got close, however, taking the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers and the 2017 Nashville Predators to the Stanley Cup final.

Laviolette had reportedly interviewed with the Oilers for their vacant head coaching position, and had been considered a front runner, alongside Jay Woodcroft, earlier Monday morning.

Edmonton’s coaching search has slogged on for nearly four weeks since the team officially fired Kris Knoblauch on May 14, and for as long as it’s been, things have been relatively quiet. The team received permission to interview former Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube, which they’ve reportedly done since, but he and Laviolette appear to be the only two coaches the team has spoken with.

The Oilers clearly have a desire to speak with former Vegas Golden Knights Bruce Cassidy, but have yet to grant permission, saying time and time again their focus is on the Stanley Cup playoffs. There’s been no indication as to whether or not the Golden Knights will even grant the Oilers permission.

The list of other coaching candidates with Cup-winning experience and “gravitas,” as the Oilers have reportedly been searching for. There’s a list of 18 head coaches who have won a Cup since the turn of the century: Joel Quenneville (three), Paul Maurice (two), Jon Cooper (two), Mike Sullivan (two), Darryl Sutter (two), Bruce Cassidy, Jared Bednar, Craig Berube, Barry Trotz, Claude Julien, Dan Bylsma, Mike Babcock, Randy Carlyle, Peter Laviolette, John Tortorella, Pat Burns, Bob Hartley, and Larry Robinson.

Of them, Robinson, Hartley, Laviolette, Carlyle, Babcock, Bylsma, Sutter, Trotz, and Julien are the only coaches who aren’t currently under contract with a team.

Mike Babcock’s name emerged in late May as a potential candidate, and on Monday, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that the Oilers were consulting with the NHL Players’ Association to see if “there are any objections that must be resolved” before potentially hiring Babcock. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, meanwhile, followed up the report suggesting that former Los Angeles Kings head coach D.J. Smith could be an option to join Babcock on Edmonton’s bench as an assistant.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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