According to multiple sources, the Maple Leafs are closing in on Jim Hiller as their new head coach.
Hiller, previously a Toronto assistant from 2015-19 under Mike Babcock, might have won out because that gives him familiarity with the likes of Auston Matthews and William Nylander. He also has history with new GM John Chayka. After leaving southern Ontario, he interviewed with Chayka’s Arizona Coyotes for an assistant job. The New York Islanders outbid them for Hiller’s services, so he chose Long Island instead.
This was an interesting search — going everywhere from David Carle to Dallas Eakins to Pat Ferschweiler to Peter Laviolette to Joe Pavelski to Patrick Roy and now Hiller, who receives his second NHL head coaching opportunity. Hiller replaced Todd McLellan on the Kings’ bench in February 2024, only to be fired on March 1 of this season.
More to come as the story develops.