KINGS INCHING CLOSER TO NAMING HEAD COACH

TORONTO, ON — The Los Angeles Kings seem to be moving forward with Jim Hiller as their full-time head coach, but the two sides continue to hammer away at the details of his next contract.

Barring a complete 180-degree shift by the Kings, Hiller is expected to be announced as the club’s formal bench boss, removing the “interim” tag, in the coming days.

The Kings and Hiller have been going back and forth and reviewing contract details Monday and today.

I’m told the Kings are not planning any formal announcement today.

Hiller joined the Kings as an assistant coach on July 19, 2022 and replaced Todd McLellan on Feb. 2 as Interim Head Coach. He helped guide the Kings’ season back on track and into the post-season, where the club fell to the Edmonton Oilers in five games in the first-round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

As I recently reported, assistant coach D.J. Smith is expected to remain with the Kings as part of Hiller’s staff.

Last week, the Kings announced they mutually agreed to part ways with assistant coach Trent Yawney, leaving at least one opening on Hiller’s bench.

Once the Kings finalize things off the ice, attention will shift to some of their pending unrestricted free agents, like defenceman Matt Roy and winger Viktor Arvidsson.

As TFP’s Dennis Bernstein reported last week, talks between the Kings and Roy’s camp haven’t begun and are expected to start around June. I’m told there also haven’t been any formal discussions with Arvidsson’s camp yet, either, and a similar timeframe exists there.