The Los Angeles Kings will approach the trade season with a different bench manager. The Kings have relieved head coach Jim Hiller of his duties and named associate coach D.J. Smith as interim head coach per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The team has confirmed the change, adding that development coach Matt Greene has been promoted to assistant coach.
This news will end Hiller’s first tenure as an NHL head coach after two years. He was promoted to L.A.’s interim head coach role in relief of Todd McLellan on February 2, 2024. Hiller inherited a roster in the midst of a 3-8-6 skid. He quickly turned that around, setting a 7-4-0 record in his first 11 games that would grow into a 21-12-1 record by the end of the season. That earned Los Angeles a third-place finish in the Pacific Division and a tough matchup with the Edmonton Oilers. The Kings won one game – a 5-to-4 overtime win in Game 2 – but otherwise quickly fell to an Oilers team that pushed to a loss in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Hiller was named the head coach outright in May 2024. He kept the energy high in Los Angeles through the 2024-25 season, and quickly began to bring the beset out of hard-nosed players like Quinton Byfield, Alex Laferriere, and Adrian Kempe. The Kings finished the 2024-25 season with 105 points – their best finish since the 1974-75 season. But, like in 1975, L.A. fell to a first-round playoff exit, again at the hands of an Oilers club that’d go on to the Stanley Cup Finals. Hiller earned criticism for his decisions, and coach’s challenges, through the first-round series but held onto his role headed into the 2025-26 campaign.
But the Kings have struggled to generate the same level of offense this season. They rank 29th in the NHL in goals scored and have struggled to find the depth scoring to make up for a down year from captain Anze Kopitar. The Kings’ struggles to generate this season swelled with top winger Kevin Fiala and middle-six winger Andrei Kuzmenko suffering long-term injuries. Even with the superstar addition of Artemi Panarin, the Kings couldn’t keep their engine firing.
The deciding blow to their momentum came at the hands of, again, the Edmonton Oilers who beat the Kings 8-1 in their second game back from the Olympic break. Chants to “Fire Hiller” rained down throughout the game, and the head coach told reporters post-game that there’s always concern over job security in the coaching world per Zach Dooley on LA Kings Insider.
Even despite a 2-0 win over the Calgary Flames to follow the tough loss, Hiller has still been pointed towards the door. He leaves the Kings with an 8-8-5 record in 21 games since the start of 2026. Los Angeles sits three points outside of a Western Conference Wild Card, tied with the Nashville Predators.
Los Angeles will look towards Smith to turn their year around. He brings a little over four years of NHL head coaching experience, having led the Ottawa Senators from the start of the 2019-20 season to December 2023. He only managed one winning season in his years in Ottawa – notching a 39-35-8 record in the 2022-23 season but totaling a 131-154-32 record outright. The Senators couldn’t break into the postseason under Smith’s reign, with emerging youngsters Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk. Smith was hired to Los Angeles’ bench four days after Hiller’s promotion to the head coach role.
Both Hiller and Smith are proteges of veteran head coach Mike Babcock. Hiller joined Babcock’s staff for his final year with the Detroit Red Wings in 2014-15, overseeing the power-play, then followed him to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015-16. Smith earned the first NHL coaching role of his career on that year’s Maple Leafs staff, after winning the OHL Championship with the Oshawa Generals in the year prior. Those deep roots and learned skills should keep Hiller in the conversation for an assistant coach role, in the same way that it has led Smith back into a head role.
Meanwhile, two-time Stanley Cup champion and 12-year veteran of the Kings blue-line, Matt Greene, will make his bench debut following this news. He has served a role in Los Angeles’ player development since he retired from his playing career following the 2016-17 season. Greene began with three years in a scouting role and has filled a development coach role over the last five years. He was a bruising, depth defender during his NHL career. Greene served as an alternate captain for eight years with the Kings, and at one World Championship with Team USA.
Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports.
Dam
Thank God
But … DJ Smith?
I don’t care if it is DJ SW1 from In Living Color. As long as Hiller is gone
Great reset/reference! 👏
Thanks
First thought, they never should’ve started this season with this man as their head coach
Secondly, this should’ve happened well before the Olympic break
Third, they should’ve walked down and fired him after the second period of the Edmonton game the other night. I’ve had Season Tickets to this team for 20 years. I have not seen an LA Kings team boot off the ice. Since the days of Mark Crawford.
It was embarrassing
This man runs a system that put handcuffs on all of his offensive players this team has talent but when you watch them, enter the zone there’s no imagination it’s a high school offense
He put breadman Kopitar and Kempe together for a half a shift in the Vegas game and they scored an absolutely beautiful goal and then he never put them back together
If I was in Holland shoes. I would be mild sellers. Take back anybody we can get with term. Use our cap space as a weapon and build for next season. I feel bad for Kopi but we need to build towards the future
Robert Thomas love to have you, buddy. You would LA
Agree. I feel bad for Kopi too. But there’s no point in sneaking into the playoffs and losing in the first round again. Time to let Holland start building a contender….
GMKH is just an interim GM,if Luc manages to save his job,he’ll hire his buddy,Marc Bergevin as GM
Peter Deboer’s coaching philosophy would be a good fit for the Kings, They are only 3 pts. out of a playoff spot.
Long overdue.
He should’ve never gotten the head coaching job in the first place
What are the worst things Blake did was fire McCllen
I don’t think there was much choice as the Kings were floundering for over a month! Hiller actually was fine until last year’s Edmonton series!
I disagree,Todd Mac didn’t trust any of the youth and relied too heavily on the Vets
Oh yeah!!!!! It’s about time. This team will see immediate improvement. I really hope that DeBoer is the replacement. GKG!!!!!
Please let this be the start of the coach firings. chief next for the love of god. 4 shots 30 min into a game after losing last 2. That’s the best you can do?
Try again in English or go back to school and make some sense.
Oh no did my bad grammar wreck your brain
Your aborting of basic English broke the internet, and your grade school English teacher is all over cyberspace apologizing for passing you on to the next level.
It will be difficult to find someone objecting to firing this particular coach. He’s imposed a suffocating defensive system that made watching the Kings a torture.
Great! Long overdue! Hiller lost the room after his terrible coaching decisions against Edmonton last year. It might be too late to make a run, but if they can’t win Kings can pull off wins against Col & NYI, then maybe they buy at the deadline. But, I have my doubts! As much as I dislike Evander Kane, the Kings need a wrecking ball! Sherwood would be preferred!
Looks like GM scapegoating. Roster ain’t that good but rolling through head coaches. How long has Blake got left
I hope you are joking around. Blake got fired already.
Holland gave him an old 3rd pair defense but the team does have talent elsewhere
Yes, on the IR!
Oh good. I missed that detail. So Holland is just clearing up Blake’s mess?
You missed the detail about Rob Blake and the Kings parting ways 10 months ago? Well played.
Yes, hard to believe but I don’t keep abreast of the management of the 30 teams I don’t follow. Lock me up officer.
Give Holland a break. He came in a week before the draft after not being involved in scouting or day-to-day operations of a team for over a year. He had exactly 6 days to crash course for free agency. A GM needs three years to put his stamp on the team. He’s inheriting Blake‘s mess.
I’ve had respect for and I’ve had for years. He’s one of the best GM of all time. Give him a little time.
Counter-point, Cody Ceci
Ok, but since Holland has been here he’s not helped the situation at all! He signed bums like Cody Ceci to a crazy contract. Traded away top prospect Liam Greentree for a declining 35 year old winger – a move that cannot be made for a team with very little current hope and should be preparing to rebuild. Panarin doesn’t help you now nor down the road. Really stupid nonsensical trade!!
If Corey Perry isn’t traded before Friday’s deadline then he and EVERYONE in the front office and coaching bench should be fired immediately at seasons end! Massive overhaul top to bottom must be made over the summer! Totally unacceptable here!
You would trade Mr. Stanley Cup Final but has not won (lately)!!!!!!!!
Just WOW! 😉
Yea the Kings are not a playoff team! lol. No reason at all to keep him.
“declining winger”. Greentree’s OHL numbers are declining in his draft +2 year and Panarin had 3 apples in 3 games
Liam still has a very respectable 44g 33goals 28a 61pts about 1.5 pts per game.
What are you shining about???? You sound like NBC News.
Greentree is a middle six forward at best. Every gm has players they love and holland is no exception Ceci sucks but who built Edmonton. Holland. 12 of the 23 guys on that roster are Holland guys. Who built Detroit back in the day? Holland. Who taught Jim Nill and Stevie Y how to be GM’s Holland. Who has the best draft record in the last thirty years as a gm. Holland. Who has won 4 gm of the year awards. Holland.
One more thing I forgot to mention. Forsberg. Armia. The Breadman trade. All brilliant moves. A mid level prospect and a third round pick for a guy in the top 10 in scoring. Not a bad move. Perry has been solid. The other two moves not so great but give him one more offseason. He has 21 mill in cap. Only clarke to re up. And a first and two second round picks in a deep draft
Ugh, Holland’s last 6 years in Detroit were bad.
Ceci and Dumoulin were equally brilliant moves!
Armia and Forsberg were also good signings!
I’ll agree with the give him time sentiment be one of the “best GM of al time” is a pretty big stretch.
About effing time!!! To echo Kingsfan1968,he lost the room long time ago!! I’d hire Wrobo ASAP!! In retrospect,Hiller should’ve been crapcanned after the EDM Series and then promote Marco Sturm.
LAK has got to replace Luc at the helm. Cronyism has become toxic throughout the organization. The one constant since 2017 has been Luc. Until he’s replaced with a whole new philosophy, the team will stay mid
The POHO tends to be the owner’s mouthpiece and a buffer for the GM, not an independent power broker. Look one level up to assign blame
Surprised they didn’t wait to do it until after the Avs game. That’s not a great place to start Smith
I think we can all agree that they waited more than long enough
Should have been done during the Olympic break!
I wish that Turk Gallant was able to coach again would ve a great fit. There is alot better options then D.J.Smith..
This is way too f-ing late! Hiller should have been axed immediately after they blew the series to Edmonton last spring. The entire coaching staff should’ve been fired also! Things could have been different if they had brought in either Quenneville or Tocchet. Instead they failed to act. In turn the Kings are a complete dumpster fire and everyone on the roster has regressed badly. Well done LA!!
I feel awful for Kopitar in his final season. However i get the feeling that he cannot wait to hang it up, get as far away from the LA Kings as possible and return home to Slovenia with his family. Well done Rob Blake, Luc Robitaille, Ken Holland and the other fools running the asylum. Shameful and disgusting!
welcome to life with ken holland as GM .. get used to this .. roster will always be on the verge .. but just not good enough .. perpetual state of disappointment
He’ll be gone after this season. Everyone will!
I failed to notice that Matt Greene was promoted to assistant coach. Good to have Greener back! The rest all new faces.
You’ve got “beset” in the third paragraph where you mean “best.”
Darryl Sutter impending.
Long overdue, but it’s time for AEG to clean house. Robitaille orchestrated a coup on Lombardi in 2017 but has proven to be a disaster as hockey ops head. By contrast, the Sharks trusted a full rebuild to non “Boys Club” members, and they are now set to be the class of the league for 10+ years. At least we will always have 2012 and 2014.
The Sharks are going to be the class of the league for 10+ years? How do you know this?
Cap space, two quality centers under the age of 20 (including the third best player on a stacked Canada), strong prospect pool. Of course they need defensemen and it remains to be seen if Askarov reaches his ceiling, but this is how the cap era juggernauts have been built.
Maybe wait a couple years to make statements like this. Maybe your definition of “class” is much larger but this seems very premature. I’d agree they have nice pieces and could do well but that’s not saying much. And as messy as the Kings have been for a few years they do have something in the rafters that SJ has still yet to achieve (and not talking about conference championship banners).
Love your tag name. I was at the only game he played for the Kings.
I could not agree more with your statement. I would throw the Ducks in that mix as well as painful as that was to say.
Carrlson
Senneke
Gothier
La Combe
Donstall
McTavish
With
McQueen and Solberg coming.
The Sharks are very top heavy with flashy and super talented top three players . The Ducks have more depth a better blueline and goaltending and a great coach.
Maybe Greene can fix the penalty kill. Kings special teams are so bad it’s like being down 1 or 2 goals before the game even starts!
This took way too long. How many players wanted out? Gavy, Danault, Spence, Foegle! Maybe now most of the team can return back to normal!
Too many horrific decisions by Blake and this season by Holland – all under the watch of Luc Robitaille who I am TREMENDOUSLY disappointed in – have led to the disaster season. Was easy to see this coming. Shameful. Everyone but Matt Greene must go at seasons end from the coaching standpoint. Front office absolutely must be cleaned out top to bottom.
I was thinking about it. There is the PERFECT coach that will be available this offseason.
How would Barry Trotz look behind the LA bench