Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka released a statement on the team hiring Jim Hiller as its new head coach.

On Wednesday, the Maple Leafs made it official that Hiller is the 41st head coach in franchise history.

The move came out of nowhere, as the club had been connected to plenty of other head coaching candidates, but not once did Hiller’s name pop up during the search.

In the end, though, he landed the job and is the new Maple Leafs head coach.

John Chayka’s Statement on Jim Hiller

After announcing Hiller’s official hire, Chayka issued a statement regarding his new head coach.

“Jim is an experienced coach with a strong understanding of what it takes to win in today’s NHL. 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,” Chayka said.

In addition, Hiller himself provided a short statement about the exciting chance to get to lead the Maple Leafs.

“I’m incredibly excited for the opportunity to return to Toronto and lead the Maple Leafs. 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 said.

Jim Hiller is the New Maple Leafs Head Coach

During the interview process, the Maple Leafs talked to over 55 different head coaching candidates about the job. But in the end, they chose Hiller to be their next head coach, and it’s a surprising hire given that his tenure with the Los Angeles Kings did not go well.

Although Hiller guided the Kings to the playoffs in his first two seasons with the team, the Kings took a step back under his watch this season and were trending to miss the playoffs late into the year. That’s when Kings general manager Kevin Holland fired Hiller and replaced him with D.J. Smith, who helped the Kings make the playoffs, only to get swept in the first round by the Colorado Avalanche. Smith was also let go, and now Peter Laviolette is the new Kings HC.

Speaking of Laviolette, he was one of the men whose names were connected to the Maple Leafs’ coaching search. They also talked to Patrick Roy, Joe Pavelski, Jay Woodcroft, David Carle, and many more names — 55 of them, in fact — before ultimately settling on Hiller.

It’s a surprising hire, no matter what way you look at it, given he was not connected to the team at all by any NHL insiders.

But Hiller did serve as an assistant coach in Toronto for four years, and the experience of coaching in Toronto before likely helped him get this job.

This was Chayka’s first big move as the Maple Leafs’ general manager, so let’s see if it turns out to be the right one or if it blows up in his face.