Jim Hiller, 57, has been hired as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ head coach, replacing Craig Berube as part of an offseason overhaul led by new GM John Chayka. Hiller returns to the Leafs’ orbit after serving as a Toronto assistant from 2015 to 2019 under Mike Babco
The Maple Leafs moved fast at the start of the offseason, and by the time the decision landed, the message was clear: this team wants a new direction after a season that ended in a dramatic fall.
Toronto has hired Jim Hiller as head coach. filling the vacancy left by Craig Berube. who was fired on May 13 after two seasons. Berube’s run included a first-to-last turnaround the previous season. with Toronto finishing atop the Atlantic Division in 2024-25 and reaching the second round of the playoffs. But the follow-up was a different story: the Leafs ended last in the division and 28th in the NHL.
Hiller, 57, steps into the role as part of an overhaul led by new GM John Chayka. Chayka was brought in to replace Brad Treliving, and Berube’s dismissal came just 10 days after that change. Chayka described the move as “an opportunity to start fresh” and said the club would go through a wide-ranging search.
For Hiller, the appointment carries a second NHL head-coaching opportunity. He was previously the head coach of the Los Angeles Kings. replacing Todd McLellan on the Kings’ bench in February 2024. only to be fired on March 1 of this season. Over parts of three seasons with Los Angeles. Hiller compiled a 93-58-24 record and had served as an assistant coach with the Kings for two seasons before being promoted to head coach.
The familiarity factor is hard to ignore. Hiller was a Toronto assistant from 2015 to 2019 under Mike Babcock. and the hiring discussion has linked his chance to that connection—especially with the Leafs’ core of Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Hiller also has history with Chayka, whose path intersected with his earlier coaching moves. After leaving Southern Ontario, Hiller interviewed with Chayka’s Arizona Coyotes for an assistant job. The New York Islanders then outbid the Coyotes for Hiller’s services, and Hiller chose Long Island instead.
That detour helped shape what has been described as a wide search. The name list moved from David Carle to Dallas Eakins to Pat Ferschweiler. then to Peter Laviolette. Joe Pavelski. and Patrick Roy—before landing on Hiller. whose first season at the NHL head-coaching level ended in a mid-season change on the Kings’ bench.
Before arriving in the NHL spotlight, Hiller built his career through junior hockey. A native of Port Alberni, B.C., he spent 11 seasons coaching junior hockey, including stints with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans and several teams in the B.C. Hockey League, before moving into the NHL ranks.
Hiller is now tasked with leading a Toronto club that’s already been reshaped by Chayka’s early moves. Alongside the coaching change. Chayka got the ball rolling Tuesday by trading goaltender Joseph Woll and depth defenceman Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers for blueliner Emil Andrae. netminder Samuel Ersson. and a third-round pick at next week’s NHL draft.
Toronto’s draft position adds another layer to the stakes of the rebuild. The Maple Leafs own the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft—first time since taking Auston Matthews atop the 2016 draft.
With Berube gone, Hiller in, and Chayka already making trades, Toronto is trying to reset quickly. The question now is whether the combination of NHL experience. long ties to the Matthews-and-Nylander era. and a new front-office vision can stop the slide—and turn that “start fresh” promise into results on the ice.
Maple Leafs Jim Hiller Craig Berube John Chayka Todd McLellan Los Angeles Kings Auston Matthews William Nylander Joseph Woll Simon Benoit Emil Andrae Samuel Ersson NHL Draft 2026