The Kings fired coach Jim Hiller on Sunday amid ongoing struggles that have put the team’s playoff hopes in a perilous spot.
The Kings named associate coach D.J. Smith the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Before joining the Kings, Smith was the Ottawa Senators’ head coach for four and a half seasons from 2019 through 2023.
Kings player development coach Matt Greene will serve as an assistant coach under Smith, the team said.
“I want to thank Jim Hiller for his dedication, professionalism, and the commitment he showed to our players and our team every day. He is a respected coach and person, and we appreciate the work he’s done behind our bench,” Kings general manager Ken Holland said in a statement. “At this point in the season, we believe a change in leadership is necessary to give our group the best opportunity to reach its potential and compete at the level we expect. These decisions are never made lightly, but our responsibility is to position this team for success now and moving forward.”
After leading the Kings to a franchise-best 48 wins and 105 points in his first full season as coach, Hiller failed to replicate that success with a team that has appeared unorganized and undisciplined for much of the season.
The Kings were expected to do better in captain Anze Kopitar’s final campaign, but they are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. Coming off the Olympic break, the Kings lost their first two games, including an 8-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday that prompted chants of “Fire Hiller” from fans at Crypto.com Arena.
The Kings defeated the Calgary Flames 2-0 on Saturday, ending a five-game losing streak.
Through 59 games, the Kings are three points outside the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference heading into Monday’s game against the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche.
The roster constructed by Holland has struggled to score. The Kings are hopeful the acquisition of Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers will jump start their offense, but with Quinton Byfield struggling (13 goals, 33 points) and Kevin Fiala out for the remainder of the season, the Kings remain one of the NHL’s most goal-starved teams. They rank 29th in average goals per game (2.53).
Hiller, 56, took over when the Kings fired Todd McLellan during the 2023-24 season. And though he took the team to the playoffs, the Kings lost to the Oilers in six games.
The teams met in a playoff rematch last spring, but after the Kings won the first two games at home, Hiller made a number of costly decisions in the two games in Edmonton, both of which his team lost, and the Oilers went on to eliminate the Kings in the first round for a fourth straight season.
Kings president Luc Robitaille expressed confidence in Hiller after the playoff setback and Holland retained Hiller after he was hired as general manager.
In December, Holland gave his coach another vote of support.
“I expect him to be here the rest of the season,” he said.
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