A lot has changed since Jim Hiller was last with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hiller has accumulated extensive coaching experience across multiple organizations, including his most recent head Coaching stint in Los Angeles. And the Leafs’ veterans like Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares, and Morgan Rielly have changed and aged as well. All four of those veteran players would have worked extensively with Hiller, as he was the power play coach under Mike Babcock. And while Hiller coaching away from Babcock will be a different presence, this leadership core greenlit Hiller’s return to the Leafs, creating optimism about what comes next.

None of the players above needs things to turn around more than Rielly, and Hiller might be the guy to do it. He knew how to use Rielly on the power play. Rielly put up two of his top three power play point seasons under Hiller. Rielly finished fifth in Norris voting one of those years. Tapping back into Rielly’s offensive output would be a big step in getting the Leafs back on track. Hiller’s experience with the player, the organization, and special teams all help that.

What also helps Rielly and some of the other Leafs’ defencemen is Hiller’s experience working with the aging lineup in Los Angeles. Rielly and Drew Doughty might be different types of players, and Rielly was never at Doughty’s level, but there are transferable learnings from LA’s defensive core of Doughty, Cody Ceci, Brian Dumoulin, and Joel Edmundson that will apply to the Leafs. The Kings had positive shot differentials and possession stats last season with that group of blue-liners, and something as simple as the return of the Rielly stretch pass could benefit the team and the player.

Moving on from Rielly was always going to be difficult. His past couple of seasons would have made it hard to deal him as a thriving top-four defenceman with four years remaining on his deal at $7.5M AAV. His full no movement clause means that Rielly would be dictating who the Leafs could even talk to. Logistically, the buyout option might have become the most palatable for the organization, but insensitive to one of the organization’s all-time best offensive defencemen.

The idea of dead cap space or giving up assets to send Rielly away lacks the appeal of seeing what a new coach can offer him. The Maple Leafs will still have work to do on the blueline that will go beyond trading away Simon Benoit, but Hiller offers optimism and flexibility to the approach that John Chayka will take. There is also the matter of who will be on Hiller’s staff, particularly in the defensive coach spot. If Mike Van Ryn is staying on, there is a good chance that Rielly is still better off in a different uniform next season.

One of the biggest needs for the Leafs last season was improved puck movement from the blueline. Hiller’s record in Los Angeles shows he can achieve better results with an aging blueline. It seems worthwhile for the Leafs to give their best current puck moving defenceman one more look with a coach who knows what to expect from him.