Following retirement from active play, Laviolette also served as head coach of the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, and Washington Capitals.

He left Wheeling to take over the head coaching job for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL).

His first season in New York, the Islanders earned 96 points (42–28–8–4 record), nearly winning the Atlantic Division before losing in the first round to the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games.

Laviolette led the Hurricanes to an excellent regular season during his second year at the helm, winning the Southeast Division with 112 points (52–22–8 record).

However, the Washington Capitals got red hot in the final weeks, Carolina lost several games down the stretch, and Laviolette's group missed the post-season.

Barely making it into the playoffs thanks to a shootout victory over rival New York Rangers, Laviolette's Flyers became the third NHL team to come back from a 3–0 series deficit, defeating the Boston Bruins 4–3 in Game 7 to reach the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals.

The HBO series 24/7: Flyers/Rangers leading up to the 2012 Winter Classic gave fans rare access to the Flyers locker room, and many of Laviolette's quotes became popular catch-phrases, such as, "We need to start playing with some jam," and, "It's about as casual as it gets."

Laviolette guided the Predators to a franchise record ninth consecutive home win with a 4–3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 4, 2015.

[13] In the second round, the Predators defeated the St. Louis Blues in six games, marking the first time the team advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

On May 16, the Predators beat the Anaheim Ducks in game 3 of the Western Conference Finals and became the first team in 20 years (since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997) to achieve 10 straight wins at home in the postseason.

[14] On May 22, 2017, Laviolette guided the Predators to the franchise's first Western Conference Championship by beating the Ducks 6–3 to move on to the Stanley Cup Finals.

[16] On September 15, 2020, Laviolette was named head coach of the Washington Capitals, replacing the recently fired Todd Reirden.

[17] On April 14, 2023, Laviolette and the Capitals mutually agreed to part ways after the team missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2013–14 season and finished with a below-.500 win percentage.

[19] In his first year, Laviolette led the Rangers to a 55–23–4 record, winning the Presidents' Trophy, also becoming the first head coach in NHL history to guide six different teams to the Stanley Cup playoffs.