The Los Angeles Kings have been a streaky team so far during the 2025-26 season. They got off to a brutal start in October, losing 5 of their first 7 games and struggling to find a consistent offensive attack. Things turned around in November, as they won 5 of their first seven games and displayed the kind of resilience that their fans wanted to see. However, they have lost 3 of their last four games as the month of December is not off to a good start.
The inconsistency has led to rumors that general manager Ken Holland is not happy with the job that head coach Jim Hiller is doing and that a coaching change could be at hand. Holland has certainly heard those rumors and he made it a point to say that they had no bearing on what he was thinking about the team's leadership. The Kings' boss said that he was not planning on making a move behind the bench and he told NHL insider Pierre LeBrun that “there's zero truth” to the rumors about a coaching change.
Currently, Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and the Kings sit in third place in the Pacific Division with a 12-8-7 record. They have 31 points, and that puts them two points behind the surprising first-place Anaheim Ducks and one point behind the favored Vegas Golden Knights.
The Kings are two points ahead of the disappointing Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks and three points ahead of the Seattle Kraken. The Pacific Division features six teams that are within five points of each other.
Hiller is in his second year with the Kings
Kings fans always have hope concerning their team and they have been to the playoffs in each of the last four seasons. However, Los Angeles has been knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the Oilers each time. Kings fans had high hopes last year because the team finished with a 48-25-9 record for 105 points, but it took just six games for the Oilers to knock them out of the postseaon.
Hiller has not been able to establish consistency this season, and that's why some observers believe that he is not long for the job.
