The Los Angeles Kings have fired head coach Jim Hiller, the team announced on Sunday. D.J. Smith has been announced as the interim head coach.
Jim Hiller has been fired as Kings Head Coach per @FriedgeHNIC.
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Former Senators Head Coach DJ Smith has been named the Interim. pic.twitter.com/RiHzVlXRd4
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 1, 2026
The Kings have had a sluggish post-Olympics return, going 1-2, including a 6-4 loss to the Las Vegas Golden Knights and an 8-1 embarrassing loss to the Edmonton Oilers. The 2-0 win over Calgary on Saturday was clearly not enough to save Hiller’s job.
The Kings are outside the playoff picture, sitting fifth in the Pacific with 62 points. The team is clearly trying to make a postseason push, with the team trading for star forward Artemi Panarin on Feb. 4.
Hiller went 93-58-24 with the Kings and made the postseason twice, but he did not win a series. The Kings’ next game is Monday, March 2, against the Colorado Avalanche.
