Former Capitals bench boss Todd Reirden may soon have another head coaching job in the NHL. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested on Wednesday that the Calgary Flames are considering Reirden to replace Daryl Sutter behind the bench.

Reirden, who was the Capitals’ head coach from 2018-2020, currently serves as an associate coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flames seriously considered Reirden for their head coaching position in 2016 before hiring Glen Gulutzan.

Friedman’s comments came during the most recent episode of his podcast 32 Thoughts. In addition to Reirden, Friedman reported that the Flames are also considering Ryan Huska (Flames assistant coach), Mitch Love (head coach of the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers), and Travis Green (former Vancouver Canucks head coach):

I don’t know this for sure, but here’s who I think some of the group is. I think Ryan Huska is still there. I think Mitch Love is still there. I think Travis Green is still there. And one other person I’ve heard there is Todd Reirden. If you’ll remember, Jeff, in one of their previous coaching searches, Todd Reirden was a finalist. And when I heard that while I was traveling the other day, it made sense to me because I think Travis Green got a serious look from them a few years ago, too. So what that kind of says to me is that Craig Conroy is going through some of their previous history of coaching interviews and saying, “Well, we liked that guy back then. Let’s re-look at it here.”

So four of the guys who I think are in the mix, I’ll admit I could be wrong, but this is my educated guess is: Haska, Love, Green, and Reirden. And if there’s anyone else, I don’t know. But I heard Reirden was–I heard they spoke to Reirden recently. So I just think that that’s kind of the potential group they could be picking from, although I freely admit there could be people there I’m not seeing.

Reirden had a record of 89-46-16 as head coach of the Capitals, with the team losing in the first round of the playoffs both seasons. After the Capitals fired him in 2020, Reirden returned to the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he had previously served as an assistant coach from 2010-2014. There, he currently coaches the Pens’ defense and power play. The Penguins promoted Reirden to associate coach at the start of this season, extending him through 2023-2024.

Meanwhile, the Flames are in the midst of a massive organizational shake-up. The team fired Sutter at the end of their season, with reports suggesting he had clashed with both players and management. The Flames narrowly missed the playoffs this season for the second time in three years, posting a record of 38-27-17.

Sutter’s firing came just weeks after the Flames agreed to part ways with general manager Brad Treliving, who had held the position for nine years. Craig Conroy came on as GM in late May, and will make one of his first big decisions with his choice of head coach.

Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB