"I'm incredibly excited for the opportunity to return to Toronto and lead the Maple Leafs," Hiller said. "This is a special organization with great players, passionate fans and high expectations. I'm looking forward to getting to work with our players and staff and doing everything we can to help this team reach its full potential."
Hiller was fired by the Los Angeles Kings on March 1 after three seasons and replaced by associate D.J. Smith. He was 93-58-24 in 175 games with the Kings, getting promoted from assistant after Todd McLellan was fired Feb. 2, 2024.
"Jim is an experienced coach with a strong understanding of what it takes to win in today's NHL," Chayka said. "He has worked with successful teams throughout his career, connects well with players and brings a clear approach behind the bench. We believe he's the right person to lead our team and help us reach our goals."
Toronto (32-36-14) finished last in the Atlantic Division and 15th in the Eastern Conference this season, missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2015-16. Mats Sundin was named senior executive adviser of hockey operations, and Chayka GM, on May 3 after Brad Treliving was fired March 30. The Maple Leafs lost their last seven games this season (0-6-1) and have won two playoff series since 2004. They have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967.
They started reworking their roster Tuesday, trading goalie Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers for goalie Samuel Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae and a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Toronto has the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on June 26 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS). Penn State forward Gavin McKenna is the consensus No. 1, but Chayka has not shared publicly who they will select.
"Mats and I have been working pretty hard now for the last several weeks coming up with what we think is a pretty comprehensive offseason plan, and this is a move we feel that is a part of that," Chayka said after the trade Tuesday. "There's lots of work to be done with the roster.
"What we liked about this opportunity is that it allowed us to create some flexibility. I think flexibility and optionality are assets to any great organization, and certainly this allows us to be in a better spot as we think about the entire offseason plan."
Hiller was an assistant with the New York Islanders from 2019-22 and the Maple Leafs from 2015-19. He coached junior hockey between the Western Hockey League and British Columbia Hockey League for 11 seasons and was named WHL and Canadian Hockey League Coach of the Year after guiding Tri-City to 50 wins (50-18-2-2) and 104 points. He was also an assistant for Canada at the 2010 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, where it won the gold medal.
The Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League are one win away from a championship; they have a 3-0 lead on the Chicago Wolves in the best-of-7 Calder Cup Finals heading into Game 4 on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; (NHLN, SN360, AHLTV on FloHockey).
"Any time as a manager you get some wins you have nothing to do with, that's always a good thing," Chayka said. "I think winning is the best development, and historically the teams that have won have been able to move players up at a higher rate. So, the fact that they are sitting where they are at is a good sign for the organization."
The Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights are the only two teams without a coach.
NHL.com independent correspondent Dave McCarthy contributed to this report
