It was a long time coming when general manager Kyle Dubas made the tough decision to move on from former head coach Mike Sullivan. Dubas is now leading a wide range search for a new bench boss and one name in particular could be a great fit and could come from a division rival.
That name that is really intriguing Penguins fans is Washington Capitals assistant coach Mitch Love. Love has been an assistant in Washington for the last two seasons and has done an excellent job there as he has done a lot of work with their defensemen.
Love also won AHL coach of the year with Stockton in 2021 and Calgary in 2022. He has quite the resume and would bring a fresh voice and a new dynamic to the Penguins.
Since it's confirmed that we have interviewed him, get to know Mitch Love. He was the AHL coach of the year two years in a row, that's impressive stuff.
— Matt Meagher (@Flux_cc) May 13, 2025
As HC in the AHL, he deployed an aggressive forechecking, defense-through-offense driven, puck pursuit system for his team(s). pic.twitter.com/bjtdvf0EeF
Love would be a fresh name and not someone recycled
Over the years when someone needs to make a coaching change, a lot of coaches that were fired are usually the first ones to get called or mentioned for a new coaching vacancy.
But if the Penguins are serious about Love, that scenario would not be the case as he has not been a head coach in the NHL before and would be some new blood behind the bench in Pittsburgh.
Penguins fans did not want to see a Tocchet or Tortorella hired behind their bench as fans share animosity towards them and they are recycled names that did not do well on other teams.
Tocchet just signed a 5-year deal in Philadelphia so cross him off the recycled name list that the Penguins should avoid.
Penguins fans should trust Kyle Dubas in the coaching search
It is way easier said than done, but Penguins fans should put their trust in Dubas to get this hire right and eventually lead the team back to consistent contention.
Love would be one that could really help the Penguins case, sure it might not be in year one as the current roster is not built to fully contend yet, but names like Love and others similar to him being a fresh name, could really help in the long run.
Whether the Penguins hire Love or someone similar to him, they should be the ones that Dubas should be targeting as the Penguins new bench boss.