Veteran coach Kirk Muller, a former Montreal Canadiens, will return to the Eastern Conference after being hired as an assistant coach by the Washington Capitals on Thursday.
For two years, the Ontario native was an associate coach with the Calgary Flames, a position he held for five years with the Habs. As one of Darryl Sutter’s senior advisors in Alberta, he helped the team reach the 2021–22 second round playoffs.
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Since 2006, when he started his stint as an assistant in Montreal, Muller has moved around the National League. From 2011 to 2014 he was the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, then an assistant with the St. Louis Blues.
The 57-year-old knows two Caps forwards, Dylan Strome and Anthony Mantha, having been on the Canada coaching staff at the 2019 World Cup.
As a player, Müller had a successful career. At the 1984 auction, he was drafted second overall by the New Jersey Devils and amassed 959 points in 1,349 games. He also wore the uniform for the Canadiens from 1991 to 1995.
The Capitals also signed Kenny McCudden from the Blue Jackets, who has spent the last eight years as an assistant coach in Columbus. The 61-year-old American will take on the same duties in Washington.
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