Toronto Maple Leafs Name Jim Hiller Coach
The Toronto Maple Leafs named Jim Hiller the 41st coach in franchise history on Wednesday.
Hiller, 57, joins the Maple Leafs as Craig Berube's replacement after spending parts of three seasons as the coach of the Los Angeles Kings.
He amassed a 93-58-24 record with the Kings and made the playoffs twice, falling to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round both times. Los Angeles fired Hiller on March 1 of this season.
Hiller previously served as an assistant coach on the Detroit Red Wings in 2014-15, the Leafs from 2015-16 to 2018-19 and the New York Islanders from 2020-21 to 2021-22.
Reaction: Toronto Maple Leafs Take Big Goaltending Risk With Woll Trade
The Toronto Maple Leafs have goalies of the future, including Artur Akhtyamov, who has the AHL's Marlies two wins away from the Calder Cup. Trading Joseph Woll could be a stroke of brilliance, but it's a risk.
Hiller had the Kings play a defensive style of game that limited shots and goals against them, which could help a Leafs squad that allowed the second-most goals this year. In the past three seasons, the Kings have ranked third, second and tied for seventh in fewest goals against.
The flip side is the Kings ranked 16th, 14th and 29th in most goals-for in those seasons.
The Leafs hired Hiller more than a month after firing Berube as a chance for a fresh start. Toronto finished with 30 fewer points this season than in 2024-25 and missed the playoffs.
Other coaching candidates linked to the Maple Leafs during the search include Patrick Roy, Joe Pavelski and possibly Jay Woodcroft. They were also reported to have interviewed Peter Laviolette, who was ultimately hired by Los Angeles.
The day before Hiller's hiring, Toronto traded goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for goalie Samuel Ersson, D-man Emil Andrae and a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft.
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This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 6:08 AM.