Jim Hiller excited to be back with Maple Leafs, coach Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly again

The Toronto Maple Leafs formally introduced Jim Hiller as their next head coach on Thursday, and he expressed enthusiasm about being back with the team.

Hiller had previously been with the Leafs as an assistant coach working under Mike Babcock from 2015 to 2019, where his primary duties were running the power-play. Apart from his first season when the Leafs were tanking to get Auston Matthews, the power plays under Hiller typically operated at a high success rate and placed near the top of the league.

The team has certainly changed a lot in the seven years since he was last with the team, but Hiller feels he still has a lot to work with.

“ I think there’s a lot of things. There’s some real proven players on the team. You look at Auston and Willy and John, but I think that extends throughout the lineup,” he said to the media during his first scrum as head coach. “ You’ve got OEL, you’ve got McCabe, you’ve got Morgan Rielly, and Darren Raddysh, we’ve added to the team. I just think there’s a lot of established players who’ve had great careers thus far, and that’s a really good basis. Maybe we add a little bit more and we’ve got something really strong to build from.”

It’s not just the roster that has evolved; the way coaches approach the game and interact with players has, too. Hiller noted that in the seven years since he left the Leafs, the game and pace to make on-ice decisions have gone up, as well the the types and frequency of conversations that are needed with the younger players of today’s game. That recognition of where the game is heading could prove valuable when it comes to acclimating whoever the Leafs end up taking first overall, which all signs at this time point to Gavin McKenna.

It certainly helps that Matthews appears to be pleased to have his former assistant coach back in the fold, according to Hiller.

“He sure is. There’s been times since I’ve been away that anytime I ended up in Scottsdale, Auston and I connected and we would grab a lunch or something like that,” he said. “ We’ve kind of stayed in touch over the years, even though I wasn’t with the team. But we’ve had a great conversation the other day, and I can tell you he’s extremely excited.”

An interesting development that emerged during the scrum was Hiller expressing enthusiasm for getting the chance to coach Rielly again and making him part of the solution. This is because it goes against the reported speculation that the veteran defenceman submitted a list of four teams he would be willing to waive his no-move clause for if a trade were to come together.

For what it’s worth, Hiller is not fully aware of the trade speculation and knows it is out of his hands what happens to Rielly.

“I don’t know about that part, I don’t. There’s always, there’s always a lot of speculation, let’s put it that way, about all types of players. So I’ve heard the same thing, we’ll see where that goes,” he said. “But from my perspective, I know him, I like him. I hope he’s part of the team in the future. And if it goes a different direction, well so be it. That’s nothing that I can control.”

Regardless of how the roster shapes up in the weeks leading up to the start of the 2026-27 season, Hiller is eager to embark on his next chapter with the Leafs in a new role.

“I don’t take this job at all lightly. I know the history. Walking through the city, with the World Cup sent chills down my spine to be honest. I’m excited to be back in charge.”

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