Longtime Maple Leafs Forward Reunites with Kyle Dubas in Pittsburgh

The NHL offseason is something that doesn't always just affect the players, as teams often bring in new faces for coaching, executive positions, and to bring in a new voice for their franchise.

We've already seen big head coaching jobs get filled like Anaheim and Seattle's with Joel Quenneville and Lane Lambert respectively, plus there are several coaches who are coming in to assist with specific needs like Derek Lalonde in Toronto.

But one team who is looking to make a ton of changes is Pittsburgh, and with the Penguins looking to rebound after a rough year; they've already made some heavy changes.

Out was long-time coach Mike Sullivan, and in came Dan Muse. But with his arrival also came the departure of the current coaching staff, and they had to fill the ranks with other names.

So it didn't take too long for them to figure it out, as the team announced on Friday that they had signed Todd Nelson, Nick Bonino, and former Maple Leafs forward Rich Clune to Muse's staff.

Nelson spent the last three seasons coaching the Hershey Bears in the AHL, winning back to back Calder Trophies in 2023 and 2024.

Bonino is an interesting figure, as he just announced his retirement from playing and immediately transitioned into a coaching role. Bonino won two Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh, and made sure he stuck with the team that brought him so much success.

Clune is a former Maple Leaf who played for them during Kyle Dubas' tenure before retiring and becoming development coach for the Maple Leafs. He then became an assistant for the Toronto Marlies, and worked with Anaheim last season; another team who went through a big coaching change.

Only playing in 19 games for the Maple Leafs, Clune had four assists in 2015-16 and has 22 points in 139 games for his career.