Maple Leafs hire Jim Hiller to be new head coach - ESPN

The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Jim Hiller as their new head coach, the team announced Wednesday.

This will be the 57-year-old Hiller's second stint with the Leafs after working as an assistant with the club from 2015-19. It also is his second NHL head coaching job following three seasons with the Los Angeles Kings from 2023-26.

«Jim is an experienced coach with a strong understanding of what it takes to win in today's NHL,» general manager John Chayka said in a statement. «He has worked with successful teams throughout his career, connects well with players and brings a clear approach behind the bench. We believe he's the right person to lead our team and help us reach our goals.»

Chayka told reporters Tuesday that Toronto was close to naming its new bench boss after an «extensive» search to replace Craig Berube, who was fired by Chayka in May after two years as the Leafs' coach.

Hiller was similarly let go by Los Angeles on March 1 in the wake of a cratering 8-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers that dropped the Kings to sixth place in the Pacific Division. He joined the Kings in 2022 as an assistant for Todd McLellan, whom Hiller replaced on an interim basis when McLellan was fired on Feb. 2, 2024, and got the head job ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Hiller was 93-58-24 with Los Angeles over those three seasons.

He'll return to Toronto with a strong knowledge of the franchise. Hiller served four seasons in Toronto, primarily managing the team's power play, under head coach Mike Babcock. After Babcock was fired and replaced by Sheldon Keefe in November 2019, Hiller moved on to be an assistant for the New York Islanders from 2019-22, prior to landing in Los Angeles.

«I'm incredibly excited for the opportunity to return to