Both Smith and Hiller were assistant coaches in the Maple Leafs' organization from 2015-2019.
Both Smith and Hiller were assistant coaches in the Maple Leafs' organization from 2015-2019.
Two former Maple Leafs assistant coaches have joined forces in Los Angeles.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, D.J. Smith is expected to be named an assistant coach with the L.A. Kings, joining the staff of interim head coach Jim Hiller.
The Kings announced on Friday that they had fired Todd McLellan — after winning just three of their last 17 games — and hired Hiller as head coach for the interim.
Both Hiller and Smith were hired as assistant coaches by the Maple Leafs when Mike Babcock took the head coaching job back in 2015. The two coaches departed the organization at the end of the 2019 season, half a year before Babcock was fired.
Smith went on to be the head coach of the Ottawa Senators and spent nearly four-and-a-half seasons with the organization before being fired on Dec. 18. Hiller spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders before joining the Kings as an assistant in 2022.
Los Angeles GM Rob Blake revealed earlier on Monday that the organization would be hiring someone from the outside to help Hiller in the interim, per the LA Times' Helene Elliott.
Smith will be the third assistant coach on the Kings' bench this season, along with Trent Yawney, who's been with the organization for five years, and Derik Johnson, who's in his first season with Los Angeles.
Toronto is finished their season series with the Kings, losing their first meeting in October and winning their second face off, which came at the beginning of 2024.
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