The Los Angeles Kings fired coach Todd McLellan on Friday morning after a disastrous January saw the team fall out of the race for the Pacific Division crown and into the wild card picture.
“This was not an easy decision,” said Kings GM Rob Blake, a former team captain and Hall-of-Fame player, in a press release. “We felt the change was necessary at this time.”
McLellan was in his fifth season as coach of the Kings, whom he led to a 141-115-34 record before his dismissal. In 2022 and 2023, they made the postseason under his guidance but fell in the first round to his former team, the Edmonton Oilers.
The Kings have named assistant coach Jim Hiller as McLellan’s replacement on an interim basis for the remainder of the season. Hiller is in his second season with L.A.; he previously assisted Barry Trotz with the New York Islanders and Mike Babcock in Detroit and Toronto.
The decision to name an interim coach is notable because of the high volume of permanent replacements named after firings over the past two seasons; Rick Tocchet (VAN), John Hynes (MIN), and Kris Knoblauch (EDM) signed multi-year contracts with organizations that dismissed their coach midseason.
The Kings task Hiller, a former head coach in the BCHL and WHL, with turning around a season that has suddenly gone off the rails. On Dec. 31, L.A. could have overtaken the Vancouver Canucks for the division lead by winning their games in hand. Since then, they have won three times from 15 tries.
In the meantime, McLellan became flustered with his team’s performance, and future Hall-of-Fame defenseman Drew Doughty called out an every-man-for-himself mentality in the locker room.
Blake acted before the Kings spiraled any further despite a 4-2 win in their most recent contest. By timing up the bad news with the All-Star break, he gave Hiller as much time as an interim coach can expect to change the team’s culture and strategy.
Los Angeles does not play again on Feb. 10, when they host the Edmonton outfit that has overtaken them for the third automatic playoff berth in the Pacific. Turning Connor McDavid and the white-hot Oilers away in their first game under Hiller would send a strong message that the Kings are still in the fight.
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