Maple Leafs fans are already letting Jim Hiller feel the heat, as social media has been rampant with criticism for the Maple Leafs head coach's at an all-time high.
Suffice to say, the Maple Leafs aren't getting off to a hot start this season, sitting 8-9-2 in the Atlantic, losers of three straight and just got shut out at home by the Devils.
Injuries have hurt the team for sure, but there have been some pretty bad decisions that have come along with it.
Constant lineup shuffling, a lack of creativity, and the mismanagement of certain players has led to a lot of criticism towards Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller, and considering that he's supposed to be the one rallying the troops - he's getting the most attention.
Jim Hiller under fire on social media for his coaching decisions
Hiller was a fairly surprising hire considering the other candidates that were floated around included Bruce Cassidy, John Tortorella and Joe Pavelski, and right now he's getting a ton of heat from Maple Leafs fans.
Social media is ablaze with fans calling for Hiller's job, and there's very little positive that is being said about the coach's system or the decisions he's made this season:
-
-
Buffalo Sabres beat writer and Hockey News contributor Michael Augello actually implored Hiller to stop with the shuffling and to start putting out more consistent lineups which will lead to of course...more consistency:
-
And some are pointing to the fact that other coaches are either sitting around doing nothing or would have made a much better alternative than Hiller:
-
Others just want him fired flat out too:
-
We are 20 games into the season and Hiller is expected to lead the team for the next few years, so if this is the backlash he's getting early on then we can expect a much longer season - and tenure - if he continues to coach.
Hiller was never option one and it shows
It seems like Hiller was the first option for Keith Pelley and the rest of the Maple Leafs but that couldn't be further from the truth.
Bruce Cassidy, while being held back by Vegas, was actually allowed to interview with the team but they decided not to hire him. They were in the mix for John Tortorella who just led the Golden Knights to the Cup Final but said no, and seemingly ignored Joe Pavelski and Jay Woodcroft.
Why? Hiller was just fired for leading the Kings to a mediocre record that was anchored by some pretty horrible postseason decisions. Those are coming to fruition here, and Kings fans have been loud on social media about how bad Hiller was for them.
It felt like Pelley and MLSE were pressured into making a decision and that the longer the situation played out, the worse the backlash would get.
However, their rash decision could have ended up being the worst one they could have made, and we're starting to see why Jim Hiller's criticism isn't unwarranted.
Was Jim Hiller the wrong choice for head coach of the Maple Leafs?
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Leafs get a major update regarding Morgan Rielly