Maple Leafs Make Surprise Hire With Jim Hiller

The Toronto Maple Leafs shocked the hockey world on the morning of June 17 when they announced that Jim Hiller is the 41st head coach in franchise history.

The Maple Leafs interviewed 55 candidates for the head coaching job, and many names were leaked out throughout the process. But not once did Hiller's name come up.

Toronto kept his name close to the vest, and in the end, they got their man.

But it's no doubt a very surprising hire.

Jim Hiller's Hire Came Out of Nowhere

During the hiring process conducted by new Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka and senior advisor Mats Sundin, there were plenty of interesting names that were bandied about to become the new Leafs' head coach.

Names like Patrick Roy, Peter Laviolette, David Carle, Jay Woodcroft, and Joe Pavelski were just some of the candidates that popped up from insiders during the search.

In the end, the team went with a surprise hire in Hiller, who is coming off a disappointing run with the Los Angeles Kings, where he got fired this past season.

Related: NHL Trade Deadline Literally Saved the Maple Leafs From Disaster

The 57-year-old Hiller, a native of British Columbia, was first hired by the Kings in 2024, and he made the playoffs in his first two seasons in Los Angeles, though they were eliminated in the first round both times.

But as the team took a step back this season, the Kings fired him 59 games into the season and replaced him with D.J. Smith, who helped guide Los Angeles to the playoffs, though they were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in four games in the first round.

Still, despite a tough year for Hiller in Los Angeles that saw him get fired, the Maple Leafs have hired him as they believe he's the right man to lead this franchise now and into the future.

It remains to be seen if that will be the case.

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Why Did the Maple Leafs Hire Jim Hiller?

It goes without saying that Hiller must have interviewed well. That much is clear because he beat out all of the other head coaching candidates the Maple Leafs talked to to get this gig.

But digging deeper, there are a few reasons why the Maple Leafs likely felt comfortable going forward with Hiller.

First off, he is a former Maple Leafs assistant coach, so he knows the market. Hiller was an assistant to former Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock from 2015 to 2019, so he has experience coaching the likes of Auston Matthews and William Nylander, the two biggest stars on the Maple Leafs' roster, even though it's been a while.

You would think those star players signed off on Chayka hiring Hiller for this head coach job.

Second, Hiller coached in the NHL just this season, so he is up to date on the current trends going on around the league. Yes, he did get fired by the Kings, but he did make the playoffs with them the last two seasons, so the Maple Leafs clearly liked that about him.

And third, at 57 years of age, he's experienced but also young enough to grow into the head coach role with the Maple Leafs, who hold the No. 1 overall pick and who are expected to select top prospect Gavin McKenna on June 26 at the NHL Entry Draft.

There are certainly going to be critics of this move by Chayka, many of whom are already on social media saying they are disappointed that he brought in a retread coach instead of thinking outside of the box and trying someone brand new, such as Pavelski.

But the Maple Leafs have their man, and it's Hiller. Now, let's see how he does with the massive opportunity he's been given to coach in Toronto.

Related: The Edmonton Oilers Should Hire John Tortorella

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This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 7:52 AM.