Penguins “part ways” with associate coach Todd Reirden
The first change of the off-season has been made in Pittsburgh
The Penguins will have a new look coaching staff in 2024-25. Associate coach Todd Reirden is out.
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
From the team:
The Pittsburgh 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.
“We are grateful to Todd for his dedication and commitment to the Penguins over two separate stints with the organization,” said Dubas. “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 presided over the Penguins’ much-maligned power play that finished 30th in the NHL with a 15.3% conversion rate, while also allowing a league-high 12 short-handed goals against.
He was also in charge of the defensemen and several blueliners including the big free agent addition of Ryan Graves had difficult seasons.
This will be the end of the second stint in the Penguin organization for Reirden - he served as the Wilkes-Barre coach from 2008-10 and then was promoted to be an assistant in Pittsburgh from 2010-14. Following six years in Washington, Reirden returned to the Penguins in 2021 where he worked for four seasons from 2021-24.
Reirden and fellow assistant coach Mike Vellucci were both operating on contracts that end with the 2023-24 NHL season. The Pens turned Reirden loose but have made no comments yet regarding the future of Vellucci.