The Los Angeles Kings have fired head coach Jim Hiller after 175 games behind the bench. Former Ottawa Senators bench boss D.J. Smith comes in as interim coach, and Matt Greene joins the staff as assistant coach.
The Los Angeles Kings announced that they have fired head coach Jim Hiller. To replace him in the interim, associate coach D.J. Smith is taking over the Kings' bench.
Hiller has been on the hot seat for what seemed like all season long. Despite Los Angeles' 2-0 shutout victory against the Calgary Flames on Saturday, the team was embarrassed by the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday in an 8-1 defeat.
That was likely the boiling point for Ken Holland, who's in his first season as the Kings' GM.
Los Angeles has struggled with consistency this year. In 59 games, the team has a 24-21-14 record, accumulating 62 points and is outside a playoff spot by three points. Furthermore, the Kings are fifth in the weak Pacific Division.
Also, the Kings have been one of the worst home teams this year. Aside from the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers, Los Angeles had the fewest home wins in the NHL with nine victories at Crypto.com Arena.
Hiller's tenure with Los Angeles ends with just one full campaign behind the bench.
After one season as the Kings' assistant coach, he was promoted to head coach in February of the 2023-24 campaign. Since then, he's coached L.A. for 175 games, earning a 93-58-24 record on the way.
The 2024-25 campaign was the year Hiller was around for all 82 games. In that season, his team went 48-25-9, putting up 105 points and finishing second in their division. The season later ended for the Kings in a first-round exit at the hands of the Oilers for the fourth-straight year.
Smith, who's in his second full season with the Kings organization, will take on Hiller's duties. He's had experience being a head coach in the NHL, as he was the bench boss for the Ottawa Senators across four seasons, and was fired midway through his fifth campaign.
Smith was never able to take the Senators to the post-season, nor finish higher than sixth place in the Atlantic Division. Following 317 games behind the bench in the NHL, he has a 131-154-32 coaching record.
The Kings also announced on Sunday that Matt Greene will be joining Smith as an assistant coach.
Greene has spent eight seasons with the Kings' organization, with the last five campaigns as a development coach.
Los Angeles' next contest comes against the league-leading Colorado Avalanche on Monday.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.