Jim Hiller's Kings Lost Three First Rounds to the Oilers, and Toronto Just Tapped Him to End Their Drought

Alright, Emerald City, can we talk about this wild news out of Toronto? After yet another early exit from the playoffs, the Maple Leafs have finally pulled the trigger and named their new head coach. And get this: it's Jim Hiller, the former Los Angeles Kings bench boss. He's officially the 41st head coach in franchise history, and he's walking into one seriously high-pressure cooker, that's for sure.

Hiller's Stint in LA: A Tale of First Round Heartbreak

Now, Hiller, who's 57, is not exactly a rookie behind the bench. He put up a 93-58-24 record over three seasons with the Kings. He even called the Maple Leafs a "special organization" and said he's "incredibly excited" to return, having been an assistant there under Mike Babcock before. He'd been an assistant with various NHL teams for about eight seasons before getting his shot as a head coach. That opportunity came when the Kings fired Todd McLellan in 2022, and Hiller stepped in as interim. He actually led them to a solid 21-12-1 record in his first 34 games! They even made the playoffs that season, only to get bounced in the first round by the Edmonton Oilers. Talk about a brutal welcome back to the big chair, huh?

The Oilers Curse and Toronto's Own Struggles

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> The next season, Hiller had his best run with the Kings, leading them to a 48-25 record and snagging the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Guess what? Lost to the Oilers again in the first round. Yeah, you read that right. The Oilers again. This past season, things fell apart. The Kings were sitting at 24-21-14 when Hiller got the axe after 59 games. D.J. Smith took over, finished the season 11-6-6, and yep, you guessed it, the Kings lost in the first round of the playoffs again. Now, the Maple Leafs themselves have had their own fair share of playoff heartbreak. Before completely missing the playoffs in the 2025-26 season, they had made nine straight appearances. Nine! But they never, ever, made it past the second round in any of those. So, Hiller's coming in after Toronto completely bombed out of the postseason picture. So, what's Hiller's mission in Toronto? Simple, but massive: get them back to the postseason after that down year. And once they're there, he's got to prove he can actually lead them on a deep playoff run. Maple Leafs fans haven't seen that in over a decade, and Hiller's past with the Kings, losing to the same team in the first round three times, is not exactly instilling confidence from what I'm reading. This is a massive challenge for him. It's going to be fascinating to see if he can shake off that first-round curse in a new city.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.