Predators fire head coach Laviolette

The Nashville Predators have fired head coach Peter Laviolette and associate coach Kevin McCarthy, the team announced Monday.

No interim coach has been named, with a decision on who will coach the club on Tuesday versus the Bruins to be announced, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Laviolette's contract was scheduled to run through the 2020-2021 season. The Predators must honor the remaining $2.5 million owed to the bench boss unless Laviolette is hired somewhere else before the deal expires, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

The Predators suffered their fourth loss in five games on Sunday, dropping their record to 19-15-7 on the season. The club sits four points out of a wild-card playoff seed entering Monday's action.

Laviolette was hired by the Predators ahead of the 2014-15 season. He posted a record of 248-143-60 behind Nashville's bench and helped the club reach the postseason over five consecutive campaigns, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017. He becomes the sixth head coach fired this season.

In 2017-18, Laviollete led the club to a franchise-best 53-win season to capture the Presidents' Trophy.

The 55-year-old was just the second coach in Nashville's history. Barry Trotz filled the position from the franchise's inaugural season in 1998-99 until 2013-14.

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