Todd Reirden was essentially the head coach in waiting for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now he’ll be looking for a new job over the offseason as Penguins’ GM Kyle Dubas fired the former Washington Capitals head coach from the team’s staff effective “immediately.”
The Penguins missed the postseason for the second consecutive season and were effectively eliminated when the Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 82.
Pittsburgh announced that Dubas made the decision after consulting with head coach Mike Sullivan.
The Penguins have parted ways with Associate Coach Todd Reirden, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas. Reirden is relieved of his duties immediately.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 3, 2024
“We are grateful to Todd for his dedication and commitment to the Penguins over two separate stints with the organization,” Dubas said in a statement. “Mike Sullivan and I have spent time over the past two weeks evaluating the coaching staff, and although these decisions are never easy, we agree that this change was in the best interest of the team moving forward.”
Reirden was in charge of the team’s power play unit that finished 30th in the NHL this season with a 15.3 percent effectiveness rate and also gave up an NHL-high 12 shorthanded goals. He also coached the team’s defense. The team surrendered the 12th most five-on-five goals in the NHL this season per Natural Stat Trick.
Optics-wise, fair or not, Reirden also got attention on social media after (caution: language) a fan shot video of him seemingly struggling to come up with a play in overtime of a game.
Reirden spent the last four seasons with the Penguins, earning a promotion to associate coach in 2021. Pittsburgh hired him back as an assistant shortly after he was let go by the Capitals as their head coach in 2020.
The decision to oust Reirden comes as Mike Sullivan’s name has been bandied about in coaching rumors over the offseason. The New Jersey Devils were reportedly interested in hiring Sullivan if he was available, forcing Dubas to comment publicly.
“There have been no requests and no permissions granted,” Dubas said to The Athletic.
Sullivan signed a three-year extension in August 2022 that started after the 2023-24 season concluded. The deal is worth $5.5 million annually and kicks in on July 1.
