May 15th, 2025, 06:47 PM ET
Jim Hiller will return as head coach for the Los Angeles Kings next season, said new general manager Ken Holland.
The Netherlands praised Hiller and looked at the new partnership at an introductory press conference for the Hall of Fame Hockey Executive at the Kings Training Complex on Thursday. After a year’s absence, the Netherlands will return to the NHL and take over as Rob Blake.
The 69-year-old former Detroit Red Wings GM and the Edmonton Oilers soon revealed to Los Angeles that they will blast four consecutive playoff appearances that will lose to the Oilers in the first round of the spring each year. The Netherlands won’t change right away behind the Kings bench or even in the front office. The front office will hold assistant GMS and hockey executives who worked at Blake.
“Jim will be a coach,” Holland said. “Jim Hiller did an amazing job leading the team to 105 points. They were excellent defensively. They were good on a special team. The team played hard. I thought this was a team that could have been a possibility and had the ability to go to long playoff runs.
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Holland and Hiller spent two hours debating Wednesday, GM said. Hiller, who replaced Todd McClellan, who was fired in February 2024, was assistant coach at Mike Babcock in Detroit a decade ago, while the Netherlands was the Wings general manager.
The Kings lost four consecutive playoff games to Edmonton after winning the franchise record (48) and tied points under Hiller this season, rising 2-0. Los Angeles is a consistent playoff team with star power and solid depth, but the Netherlands knows his job is to drive the Kings out of this franchise plateau.
“I want to add something to it, maybe a slightly different idea,” Holland said. “I’m looking forward to moving forward. …I understand that this is a truly competitive market. You talk about all the competition in the entertainment dollars, so winning and competing is important. I’ve found a way to make your team a little different.
According to President Luc Robitaille, Blake voluntarily left the team two weeks ago. The Netherlands called the Kings a “legitimate Stanley Cup contender” this season, and he praised Blake for his rebuilding work.
The search for the Kings soon went to zero. The Netherlands have been working in the NHL’s hockey operations division for the past year after leaving the Oilers on mutual consent. Robitaille said the king was “very lucky” to hire the Netherlands.
“He knows the path he needs to reach the championship,” Robitaille said. “It’s difficult, and it’s difficult to learn. His experience, what he’s done over the course of his career, is extremely important to ensure that this franchise reaches that next level.”
The Netherlands won one Stanley Cup as the Wings general manager in 22 years and as Detroit’s assistant GM, winning three more. In 2019 he moved to Edmonton, where he made the playoffs for all five years of his tenure, and advanced to Game 7 of last year’s Stanley Cup final before falling to Florida.
The Netherlands said they are not sure if they’ll return to the front office after leaving Edmonton, but they’re ready. He watched the winter at his home in British Columbia every night, watching games and watching the winter when he wasn’t working with Colin Campbell, a director of hockey operations.
“I’m excited to go back to the saddle,” Holland said. “I have a lot of energy. This winter I had the opportunity to re-adjust the battery.”
The Netherlands calls Los Angeles “one of the great sports cities around the world,” and he is already beginning to know the width of the city in ways he has never done as a visitor.
“My wife is excited, my grandchild is really excited,” Holland said. “Tell me, they’re looking forward to coming to Los Angeles, watching the Kings games and going to Disneyland.”
