The Kings fire their coach

Raphael Simard
The Kings fire their coach
Credit: YouTube

Breaking news in the NHL: the second firing of the season has taken place. The Kings have dismissed their head coach Jim Hiller. DJ Smith, former coach of the Senators, will take over on an interim basis.

Los Angeles had put all their eggs in one basket by acquiring Artemi Panarin in early February.

But then Kevin Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko got injured. With two consecutive losses coming back from the Olympics and three points out of the playoffs, the Kings needed a change.

Obviously, it was the coach who paid. Note that Matt Greene will be joining the bench and taking care of the defensemen.

Hiller had been the coach since the 2023-2024 season. He never missed the playoffs, but was never able to get past the first round. #Oilers

As for DJ Smith, he coached the Sens for four seasons without making the playoffs. In his fifth season, he was fired after 26 games. He has been with Los Angeles since last season.

Will this coaching change whip the Kings into shape, much like it did for the Columbus Blue Jackets? The season is far from over.

(Credit: NHL.com)

In brief

– Keep an eye on.

– Impressive. Impressive.

— RDS (@RDSca) March 1, 2026

— The Wings want to strengthen their team.

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