The Los Angeles Kings have fired their coach, Todd McLellan, naming Jim Hiller as an interim head coach for the rest of the season, according to Vice President and General Manager Rob Blake.
"We want to thank Todd for his hard work and dedication to the organization," said Kings general manager Rob Blake.
"He has done a tremendous job in moving us forward and positively impacting our group and our community. This was not an easy decision, but we felt the change was necessary at this time. Jim is a well-respected member of our staff who is familiar with our players. We are confident in his ability to lead our team effectively during this pivotal time."
The Kings, who are still in the playoff hunt at 23-15, had a rough January. Finishing 3-7-5 and falling to the first wild card spot in the Western Conference, leading to McLellan's dismissal.
McLellan spent five seasons with the Kings, being hired in 2019 and having led the team to the playoffs in the past two seasons, unfortunately losing to the Edmonton Oilers twice. Throughout his time with the Kings, he had a record of 47-25-10.
McLellan got his first head coaching job in 2008 with the San Jose Sharks, spending seven seasons with the team; which included six playoff appearances. The former Kings coach also spent time with the Oilers as a head coach, spending four seasons with the team from 2015 to 2019.
Under Hiller, the Kings would look to right the ship and stay in contention for a postseason berth. Hiller joined the Kings on July 19, 2022, and has spent two seasons as an assistant coach. This is after stops with the New York Islanders (2019-22), Toronto Maple Leafs (2015-19), and Detroit Red Wings (2014-15).
Hiller has been a part of improving the Kings' forward power plays, who rose from 27th in the NHL at 16.1 percent in the 2021-22 season to fourth-best in the NHL last season at 25.3 percent.
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