After the Nashville Predators fired the only coach in franchise history, Barry Trotz, there was definitely a question of whether an upgrade was possible. It won't be answered today, but the Predators landed a big name with an impressive resume, announcing the hire of Peter Laviolette on Tuesday,
Laviolette has a record of 389-282-63 with 25 ties (remember when those were a thing?) and of course, a Stanley Cup to his name as the coach of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2005-06. He also went to the Cup finals in his first season in Philadelphia and took the Flyers to the postseason two other times. However, he missed the playoffs in the lockout-shortened ’12-’13 season and then was fired after a 0-3 start this season. Laviolette was also the head coach of the New York Islanders from '01-'03, making the playoffs in both seasons.
Predators general manager David Poile gets someone he’s familiar with as Poile, who doubled as the GM for the US men’s team, had Laviolette as an assistant on Dan Bylsma's staff in Sochi. Laviolette was also the head coach of the team for the 2006 games in Turin and currently is leading the US team at the World Championship.
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Expect a change in philosophy. Trotz’s Predators teams were known for their defensive acumen but were light on offense. Poile said as much in release on Predators.com:
“Having reached the peak as a Stanley Cup Champion, Peter knows the intensity and urgency it will take to help our team reach its ultimate goal,” Poile said. “He is a great hockey mind who not only has a winning resume, but has done it with an aggressive offensive philosophy while also excelling in helping young players reach their potential. We look forward to Peter instilling his culture in Nashville immediately following his duties coaching the United States at the 2014 World Championship.”
Over the past five seasons, Nashville finished in the top-10 in scoring just once, in ’11-’12. It was in the bottom half of the league in the other four years, including a last-place finish in goals for in ’12-’13. Defense-first hockey enough when the Predators were making noise in the postseason, but after missing the playoffs for the past two seasons, things will change. Whether that's for the better, remains to be seen.
And since the internet never forgets, there was also this:
Good to see Peter Laviolette back in the NHL. Nashville's second coach now. And he gets to coach Shea Weber, afterall!
— Tim Panaccio (@tpanotchCSN) May 6, 2014
Intrigued by this Peter Laviolette news. Either he's getting revenge on the Flyers by ensuring they don't get Weber, or it's an inside job.
— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) May 6, 2014
Flyers fans would have been so excited if they were told 7 months ago that Peter Laviolette would be coaching Shea Weber.
— Five For Howling (@Five4Howling) May 6, 2014
For those who do not remember, the Flyers once signed Predators defenseman Shea Weber to a 14-year, $110 million contract. The plan failed, but now, Laviolette will, we assume, finally be paired up with Weber.