Breaking NHL News: LA Kings Fire Head Coach Jim Hiller, Name Replacement

Most would say that they just don't have the horses up front, but the Los Angeles Kings have decided that head coach Jim Hiller isn't the man for the job any longer, relieving him of his duties.

We have relieved Jim Hiller of his duties and named D.J. Smith interim head coach for the remainder of the season, Kings Vice President and General Manager Ken Holland announced.

In addition, Kings player development coach Matt Greene will join Smith as an assistant coach.… pic.twitter.com/3MCzFfNF41
— LA Kings (@LAKings) March 1, 2026

The Kings have named DJ Smith as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season, while player development coach Matt Greene joins the bench as an assistant coach.

"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," said Kings GM Ken Holland 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.”

Smith was head coach of the Ottawa Senators for 4 1/2 seasons (2019-24), and posted a .464 points percentage with a record of 131-154-32. Before that, he was an associate coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs for four years.

The Kings recently acquired top scorer Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers, but the offense is still in trouble, suffering a couple of notable injuries in the past couple of weeks, including Kevin Fiala (out for the season) and Andrei Kuzmenko (out week-to-week).

LA is currently three points back of the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference going into Sunday's games.