Could Peter Laviolette be a good fit for the Dallas Stars?
With the Stars firing Pete DeBoer on Friday, the team is now tasked with searching for a new head coach and Laviolette should certainly at least be considered.
Laviolette is known to thrive in his first season as a head coach for teams. In his first season coaching the New York Rangers, he helped lead the team to win the Presidents’ Trophy and reach the Eastern Conference Final.
While Laviolette isn’t necessarily known for developing young talent, he seems to elevate already established teams.
He helped lead both the Philadelphia Flyers and Nashville Predators to Stanley Cup Final appearances while winning a Stanley Cup as the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Stars possess all the pieces and talent in the world to go to capture a Stanley Cup, but have not been able to get over the hump and seemingly hit a wall under DeBoer.
Laviolette is also reportedly still highly interested in coaching.
“He wanted to show people that last year wasn’t on him, and it was bigger than just coaching,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said. “He would have the desire to prove it and show it and Laviolette does have the reputation as the turnaround master. His teams in the first year do extremely well. But he’d definitely got that mentality and the word on that is out there.”
A fresh face and voice is clearly needed in Dallas. Laviolette could provide that fresh voice and bring his breadth of experience to help push the Stars over the top.
