Update (11/15): Reirden has reportedly pulled out of his agreement to become Avangard Omsk’s new head coach.
Todd Reirden reportedly pulls out of agreement to become head coach of KHL’s Avangard Omsk
Todd Reirden has reportedly found his next job in pro hockey.
After being dismissed by the Pittsburgh Penguins from his role as associate coach last May, Reirden is headed to the KHL to become the next head coach of Avangard Omsk.
Per Metaratings.ru, Reirden has reached an agreement with the club tentatively scheduled to be announced on Wednesday. Omsk’s current head coach, Sergei Zvyagin, is expected to remain on Reirden’s staff after guiding the club to an 8-14 start to their 2024-25 campaign.
Reirden was seemingly not the only former NHL bench boss being considered for the job, as Match TV added that Gerard Gallant and Todd McLellan were also vying for the position. Gallant, who has 11 seasons as an NHL head coach under his belt, is most recently of the New York Rangers (2021-23). McLellan has 16 years of experience and was fired mid-season by the Los Angeles Kings last year.
According to Sport-Express journalist Mikhail Zislis, Reirden’s contract with Avangard will last for the rest of this season and the 2025-26 campaign. In 2018, he won a Stanley Cup as an assistant with the Washington Capitals.
Reirden’s lone prior head coaching experience came with the Capitals for two seasons (2018-20) after he was internally promoted when Barry Trotz left the organization due to a contract dispute. The Capitals went 89-46-16 under his watch and won the Metropolitan Division in both seasons. But they failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs, which led to his firing in August 2020.
Pittsburgh rehired their former assistant coach a week later. He spent four seasons with the Penguins, earning a promotion to associate coach in 2022. The Calgary Flames were reportedly considering Reirden for their head coaching role before last season but ultimately decided to promote assistant Ryan Huska to the job.
Reirden will reunite with former Caps forward Stanislav Galiev, who he coached for two years with Washington (2014-16). Avanagard is led in scoring by Russian defender Damir Sharipzyanov after former Vancouver Canucks forward Linden Vey recently left to sign with a team in Switzerland.
Other familiar names on the roster include former NHLers Reid Boucher, Ryan Spooner, and Darren Dietz. Avangard’s next game is on Wednesday against Dynamo Moscow, Alex Ovechkin’s former club.
