The Los Angeles Kings have decided to make a coaching change to start the month of March. News emerged on Sunday that the Kings have fired head coach Jim Hiller. Former Ottawa Senators bench boss D.J. Smith has been appointed as the interim head coach.
The Kings have announced they’ve relieved Jim Hiller of his duties and named D.J. Smith interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Los Angeles Kins Fire Jim Hiller as Head Coach
Hiller was fired on Sunday after the Kings have dropped five of their last six games. The firing came despite Los Angeles getting a 2-0 shutout win over the Calgary Flames on Saturday night. Smith will take over for the rest of the season and is the first coaching change done since general manager Ken Holland took over in the summer.
Hiller complied a 93-58-24 record with the Kings and took them to the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice. However, the Kings were eliminated in the opening round by the Edmonton Oilers on both occasions. The longtime NHL assistant took over from Todd McLellan, who was sacked by previous general Rob Blake in February 2024.
In Hiller’s first full season in charge, the team tied its franchise records for victories (48) and points (105). However, the Kings have yet to get past the Oilers in multiple series.
What It Means
The writing was seemingly on the wall after Edmonton rolled to an 8-1 drubbing of Los Angeles. We saw the Kings get that important win over the Flames on Saturday. However, time has seemingly run out on Hiller.
Smith was the Senators’ head coach from 2019 to 2023. However, Ottawa did not make the playoffs in any of his four-plus seasons in charge. He was fired 26 games into his fifth season before he was fired.
Smith is the fifth coach to lead the Kings since Darryl Sutter was fired in 2017. He was the coach that led Los Angeles to both of its Stanley Cups.
The heat is on the Kings to get back into the playoffs. Los Angeles added Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers but not much has come of it.
Main photo by: James Guillory-Imagn Images