Kings Fire Coach Jim Hiller Following Long Slump

Assistant head coach D.J. Smith will take over Hiller’s role for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.

The Kings fired coach Jim Hiller after two-plus seasons. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Kings announced on Sunday that the organization has fired coach Jim Hiller. Assistant head coach D.J. Smith will take over Hiller’s role for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.

Hiller took over as the Kings’ head coach in February 2024 after Todd McLellan was fired. Before joining Los Angeles’s squad, Hiller was the Senators’ head coach for nearly five seasons.

Hiller finishes his tenure in L.A. with a 93–58 regular season record and 3–8 playoff record.

“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,” 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.”

In the month of February, L.A. went 1–5, with the five losses coming in a row until the Kings won on Saturday vs. the Flames. In January, the Kings went 7–8. At this point of the season, the Kings are in fifth place in the Pacific Division, while sitting three points out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Although the Kings have made the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of the last four seasons, the team has failed to advance past the first round, falling to the Oilers each time. The last time the Kings advanced past the first round was in 2014 when they last won the Stanley Cup.

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