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D.J. Smith, who is in his second season as the Kings’ associate coach, has been promoted to interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Both Hiller and Smith are former Maple Leafs assistant coaches who worked for Toronto on the staff of Mike Babcock.
The Kings, who made a pre-Olympics splash when they acquired forward Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers in a trade, were three points behind the Seattle Kraken for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference before Sunday’s slate of NHL games. Los Angeles has a record of 24-21-14.
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2nd NHL coached fired this season
Hiller is the second NHL coach to be fired in 2025-26 after the Columbus Blue Jackets sent Dean Evason packing in January. Evason’s replacement, longtime NHL coach Rick Bowness, has led the Blue Jackets to a 10-2-1 record and revived playoff hopes since taking over.
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