The Columbus Blue Jackets and GM Don Waddell made a surprise decision to fire head coach Dean Evason on Monday.
Even though Columbus is about 2,000 miles away from Los Angeles, that doesn't mean Los Angeles Kings coach Jim Hiller can't be affected by the changes within the Blue Jackets organization.
Kings fans have been asking for a Hiller dismissal for months now, and Evason's sacking will only increase the pressure on Hiller's job security.
In their respective conferences, the Kings and Jackets are not in the same place.
Los Angeles is currently in a playoff position, the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. In the meantime, Columbus is last in the Eastern Conference, seven points out of a playoff berth.
While they seem far apart, they're really not when you look at each team's record and points total so far this season.
Going into their clash with the Dallas Stars, the Kings have a 19-15-10 record with 48 points. In contrast, the worst team in the East has a 19-19-7 record and 45 points.
Kings Vs Stars Game Preview: Kings Looking To Win Back to Back GamesThe Kings are looking to win back-to-back games after defeating Edmonton in a Shootout on Saturday. Just three points separate the two teams - the Kings with playoff hopes, and the Blue Jackets with lottery hopes.
If the Blue Jackets believed it was time to make a change behind the bench for performance reasons, how far away are the Kings from thinking the same way?
In addition to the Blue Jackets' position not being far off from the Kings, there's now another NHL bench boss at home waiting to pounce on another opportunity to coach in the league.
Throughout the season, there have been several conversations and rumors about Pete DeBoer filling in if Hiller were ever to get fired.
Why Jim Hiller Is Quietly Sliding Toward The Hot Seat In Los AngelesLess than a year ago, Jim Hiller tied a franchise record for points and had the Kings playing strong night in and night out. The future was looking bright with Hiller and Los Angeles, but a year later, the Kings have one of the worst power plays and are currently out of the playoff picture. DeBoer has been a successful coach wherever he's gone. He led the Stars to three straight Western Conference finals, as well as another two in tenures with the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights.
Now, Evason, a solid NHL coach, is also available if Los Angeles' brass were interested in making a coaching change.
Not to mention another coach who has had plenty of playoff success and even a Stanley Cup to his name, Peter Laviolette.
The hot seat under Hiller has just got hotter.
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