It was a big surprise when the Toronto Maple Leafs named Jim Hiller their head coach a few months ago, but fans should be super excited about this move.
The life of a Leafs fan has been so crazy over the past year. The team went from potentially losing it's first-round pick to drafting Gavin McKenna No. 1 overall. Not only that, but the team fired a veteran head coach and general manager and replaced them with two shocking hires in John Chayka and Jim Hiller.
Chayka has completely reedemed himself this offseason, going from what people described as one of the dumbest moves in team history to seemingly a brilliant executive. The team looks well improved on paper, which doesn't neccessarily mean anything yet, so it could crash and burn, but as of right now, his hire looks great.
The focus has been on Chayka this offseason, rightfully so, but that's about to switch to Hiller, who returns to Toronto after being an assistant coach with the team for four seasons. This hire looked bizzare originally, but it makes a ton of sense as he's already coached a lot of the veteran group like John Tavares, William Nylander, Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly.
The biggest positive about Hiller returning is that the power-play should get substanitally better. During his previously tenure in Toronto, the team consistently ranked in the top-eight in power-play percentage. The unit is pretty much the same as it was during his previous time with the Leafs, except now he has Matthew Knies, Darren Raddysh, and Gavin McKenna as legitimate threats.
Jim Hiller is the right man for the job
Sure, the team is missing Mitch Marner who's a playmaking magician, but those three players can make the Leafs unstoppable on the power-play this year.
Not only will the man-advantage look better, but Rielly could turn back the clock and have a comeback season. His best season of his career came when Hiller was an assistant coach in 2018-19, as he scored 20 goals and registered 72 points, so his coaching style could help Rielly return to form.
Hiller has been known for his 1-3-1 and trap style, but he also believes in high-tempo skating which is what he should bring to the Leafs roster. This Toronto team is not built to sit back and defend and is at it's best when it's bringing the puck up the ice, so he should allow Rielly and his teammates to play that way which will help him.
Craig Berube was a lot more focused on trying to win 2-1 games, which translated in them losing more than they won, so Hiller should recognize the Leafs' strengths, effectively bringing Rielly and Matthews back to life.
It may not seem like the sexiest hire but Hiller's philosophy should make the Leafs look like a way more fun team to watch this year.
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