The Kings have let go of their coach and already found someone new!
The Los Angeles Kings have made a big change in their coaching staff.
On Sunday, hockey expert Elliotte Friedman shared that the Kings have released their head coach, Jim Hiller. Hiller coached the Kings for five seasons, starting as an assistant before becoming the main coach in the 2023-24 NHL season.
Under Hiller, the team reached the playoffs each year, but they couldn’t advance beyond the first round. Right now, the Kings are not in a good spot, as they are outside the playoff zone.
Currently, the Kings have 62 points after playing 59 games, which puts them three points behind the Seattle Kraken for the last Wild Card position in the Western Conference. It seems that general manager Ken Holland believed his team needed a big change if they were going to catch up and try to make the playoffs as the regular season comes to an end.
The Kings have made a coaching change
DJ Smith as interim boss
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 1, 2026
Another important thing to mention is that Holland did not bring Hiller on board himself and will not have the chance to choose a new head coach for the job.
Friedman also shared that former NHL head coach DJ Smith will step into the head coach position after Hiller was let go, and Smith had been an assistant coach for Hiller this season.
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