Justin Williams has plenty of reasons to care about what happens in Los Angeles, and his read on the Kings’ latest coaching move comes with real weight behind it.
Williams, now a special advisor to Carolina Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky, joined The Insider Show to talk about new Kings head coach Peter Laviolette, a coach he knows well from their four seasons together in Carolina. The two were part of the group that won the Hurricanes’ first Stanley Cup in 2006, long before Williams was traded to Los Angeles in March of 2009 for a pick that Carolina later used to select current Kings defenseman Brian Dumoulin.
That history made Williams an ideal voice for a conversation about what Laviolette can bring to LA. He described him as one of the best motivators he’s ever been around, saying before games he has a way of pulling more out of players than they even realized was there. Williams also pointed to Laviolette’s ability to get a room energized quickly and establish a style of play without much delay.
“I just remember him as a “go go go”.”
For Williams, that approach fits especially well for forwards. He said Laviolette wants his teams on the front foot, pressing and forcing mistakes instead of hanging back.
The message is simple: work hard, stay aggressive, and the coach will live with mistakes if they come from effort. He added that Laviolette has carried that identity across stops in the league, while also continuing to grow as a coach over the years.
Williams also weighed in on how the Kings roster is being viewed from the outside. He pushed back on the idea that a first-round exit means the group is far from contention, arguing that the playoff format can hide just how close a team really is. In his view, some clubs that advance further may not actually be better, while teams eliminated early can still be very near a championship level.
Another topic was the presence of familiar faces around the organization, including Matt Greene on the bench as an assistant coach. Williams said Greene has the kind of personality and “it” factor that makes coaching feel natural, and he isn’t surprised to see him in that role. He also mentioned Jarret and said having people around who care deeply about the organization matters, because that kind of commitment helps build culture.
Williams, who played seven seasons in LA and was part of the Kings’ championship teams in 2012 and 2014, logged 73 playoff appearances with the club. The Ontario native, originally drafted by Philadelphia in the first round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, played 19 seasons in the league, appearing in 1264 regular-season games and 162 playoff contests.
His reputation for coming through when it mattered most is built on numbers that stand out even in a long career: eight wins in nine career Game 7s, with seven goals and 15 points in those games. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy after the Kings’ 2014 title, finishing that postseason with 25 points in 26 games on nine goals and 16 assists.
Williams’ conversation also touched on the direction of the Kings roster, how Drew Doughty might adapt under a new coaching staff and style, what it was like being part of a winning management group, and the recent retirements of Anze Kopitar and Jonathan Quick.
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