Maple Leafs Name Jim Hiller Head Coach Weeks After Firing Craig Berube

The Toronto Maple Leafs named Jim Hiller head coach on Wednesday. Hiller, 57, replaces Craig Berube, who was fired in May after two seasons. General manager John Chayka and his staff interviewed more than 25 candidates and contacted players and training staff across the league before selecting Hiller.

Chayka said player feedback distinguished Hiller from other candidates. "What separated Jim was that the players [who] had been around him really valued who he is as a person," Chayka said. " Hiller served as an assistant coach with Toronto from 2015 to 2019.

He later spent three seasons as an assistant with the New York Islanders before joining the Los Angeles Kings in 2022. The Kings fired Hiller on March 1 after an 8-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers that dropped Los Angeles to sixth place in the Pacific Division. Hiller had compiled a 93-58-24 record over parts of three seasons with the Kings.

Chayka became general manager in May after the Maple Leafs dismissed Brad Treliving in March. Chayka and newly hired senior adviser Mats Sundin then fired Berube later that month. Chayka said Hiller's approach aligns with the organization's goals.

"It starts with alignment -- alignment about standards, alignment around development, and alignment around the daily habits that will determine whether a team reaches its potential," Chayka said. Hiller said he has not yet spoken with captain Auston Matthews or top winger William Nylander.

He said the roster contains "a couple of stars in the league" and "tremendous players" who have shown results.

Toronto missed the playoffs last season for the first time since Matthews was drafted first overall in 2016. In Berube's first season, the team reached the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.