The Los Angeles Kings announced on Sunday that they have fired head coach Jim Hiller. D.J. Smith will take over as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Hiller’s dismissal comes just one day after the Kings secured a 2–0 victory over the Calgary Flames. Despite the win, the team currently holds a 24-21-14 record (62 points) and sits three points behind the Seattle Kraken (65) for the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
Hiller, 56, made his NHL head coaching debut with the Kings during the 2023–2024 season after replacing Todd McLellan, who was let go 48 games into that campaign. Under Hiller’s leadership, the Kings reached the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. Last year, they finished second in the Pacific Division but were eliminated in the first round both times.
He leaves Los Angeles with a career record of 93-58-24 as the team’s head coach.
D.J. Smith, who joined the Kings in 2024 as an associate coach, will now step into the lead role. Smith previously served as head coach of the Ottawa Senators from 2019 to 2023 but did not guide the team to a playoff appearance during his tenure. The Senators never won more than 39 games in a season under his leadership.
Smith will make his debut as the Kings’ interim head coach on Monday when Los Angeles faces the Colorado Avalanche, currently the top-ranked team in the NHL.
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.
— LA Kings (@LAKings) March 1, 2026
In addition, Kings player development coach Matt Greene will join Smith as an assistant coach.… pic.twitter.com/3MCzFfNF41
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