The Los Angeles Kings have seemed to have found their new head coach. Earlier this morning, Kevin Weekes had reported that interim head coach Jim Hiller was going to get that tag removed, having agreed to a multi-year contract.
Pierre LeBrun later added that the Kings and Miller hope to finalize an agreement by the end of the day, keeping him on as head coach, though the deal is not 100 per cent done as of now.
Later on Wednesday, the Kings made the official announcement:
Since Feb. 2, Hiller has taken over for Todd McLellan, who was dismissed. McLellan was in his fifth season with the Kings but the team had gone 3-7-5 in January and dropped to the first wild card spot in the Western Conference.
Under Hiller, Los Angeles went 21-12-1 in 34 games and made it to the postseason, though the Kings were eliminated in five games in the first round of the playoffs to the Edmonton Oilers.
Hiller had been a member of the Kings’ coaching staff as assistant in July 2022 and spent two seasons in the role.
Hiller previously served as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders (2019-22), Toronto Maple Leafs (2015-19) and Detroit Red Wings (2014-15).
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