Jim Hiller will remain the head coach of the Los Angeles Kings after vice president and general manager Rob Blake removed the interim tag on Wednesday.
The Kings were 21-12-1 in the regular season under Hiller after Todd McLellan was fired on February 2. But Los Angeles was eliminated by Edmonton in the first round of the playoffs for the third year in a row.
Under Hiller, the Kings were second in penalty kill during the regular season and had the league’s best home record after the All-Star break, but neither was evident in the postseason as the Oilers clinched the series won five games.
Edmonton was 9 of 20 on the power play during the playoffs, while the Kings failed to score on any of their 12 chances with the man advantage. Los Angeles also lost both of its home playoff games after winning nine of its last 10 in the regular season.
Hiller spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Kings, after eight seasons as an assistant with the New York Islanders, Toronto and Detroit. A 10th-round pick by the Kings in 1989, he was the 18th coach in NHL history to make his head coaching debut with the team that originally drafted them.
Prior to his NHL coaching career, Hiller spent 12 seasons in the Western Hockey League and British Columbia Hockey League, including five years as head coach with the Tri-City Americans.
Los Angeles has reached the playoffs four times during Blake’s GM tenure, but has failed to advance beyond the first round. The Kings haven’t won a playoff series since winning their second Stanley Cup in three years in 2014.
The prospects for a breakthrough in a tough Pacific division appear difficult.
Team captain Anze Kopitar turns 37 in August and defenseman Drew Doughty turns 35 in December.
Los Angeles doesn’t have many prospects at its minor league affiliate in Ontario, California, and has cap issues. David Rittich is the only goalkeeper under contract next season.
Hiller must also find a way to get Pierre-Luc Dubois on course. The Kings acquired Dubois from Winnipeg and signed him to an eight-year, $68 million contract last season. The center had no chemistry with anyone on the team and had season-lows in goals (16) and points (40).
During the Edmonton series, Dubois was often on the fourth line.
