The Toronto Maple Leafs hired Lane Lambert to be their Associate coach and in doing so said assistant coach Dean Chynoweth will not be returning, opening the door for him to possibly reunite with New Jersey Devils' head coach Sheldon Keefe.
The Toronto Maple Leafs hired Lane Lambert to be their Associate coach and in doing so said assistant coach Dean Chynoweth will not be returning, opening the door for him to possibly reunite with New Jersey Devils' head coach Sheldon Keefe.
Keefe still needs to fill out his coaching staff and could be interested in bringing Chynoweth to the Devils. He's worked between the NHL and AHL since 2009 and spent the previous three seasons working alongside Keefe.
The 55-year-old has also been the assistant coach of the New York Islanders and the Carolina Hurricanes. He's also been the head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds and the Swift Current Broncos in the WHL and the head coach of Lake Erie Monsters and the San Antonio Rampage.
Chynoweth was in charge of the Maple Leafs' defence and penalty kill during his time with the club. In those three seasons, the Maple Leafs ranked 22nd (2023-24), 12th (2022-23) and 8th (2021-22) on the penalty kill.
The Calgary native also played 241 career games in the NHL after the Islanders drafted him with the 13th pick in the 1987 draft. The defenseman finished his career with four goals and 22 points.
The familiarity between Keefe and Chynoweth could be something that the Devils would like to bring to the organization and it's a combination that has had success before.
Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.