Rangers hiring ex-Capitals head coach Laviolette

The New York Rangers are hiring Peter Laviolette as their next head coach, the team announced on Tuesday. He agreed to a three-year deal with New York, sources told ESPN.

Laviolette, 58, has coached 21 years in the NHL and was most recently with the Rangers division rival Washington Capitals last season. The Capitals did not renew Laviolette's contract after they missed the playoffs.

The Rangers will be the fifth team Laviolette will have coached in the division; he also had stints with the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers.

With 752 career victories, Laviolette is the eighth-winningest coach in NHL history and has the most wins of any American-born coach. He coached Carolina to the Stanley Cup in 2006 and has taken two other teams to the final: Philadelphia in 2010 and Nashville in 2017.

"Peter's impressive resume, which includes winning a Stanley Cup and advancing to the final with three different teams, has made him one of the most respected coaches in the league," owner James Dolan said in a statement. "As we move forward in our goal to consistently contend for the Stanley Cup, I am confident that Peter is the right head coach to lead our team."

The Rangers parted with Gerard Gallant after a first-round loss to the New Jersey Devils in May. Gallant had led the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022. Gallant was under contract through the 2024-25 season.

The Rangers cast a broad net in their search, but honed in on a veteran coach because the organization believes it can win a championship as soon as next year, sources told ESPN.

Among the up-and-coming coaches the Rangers talked to were Spencer Carbery (who was hired by the Capitals) and Jay Leach, an assistant coach with the Seattle Kraken.

The Rangers let go of most of their assistant coaching staff -- keeping on longtime goalie coach Benoit Allaire -- so Laviolette and GM Chris Drury will now fill those positions, sources said.