Mitch Love is headed back behind the bench - this time in the KHL. The 41-year-old has been named the new head coach of the Shanghai Dragons, stepping in after Gerard Gallant stepped away from the role due to health reasons.
Gallant, a veteran NHL bench boss with stops in Columbus, Florida, Vegas, and New York, had been leading the Dragons before illness forced him to pause his coaching duties. After consulting with team doctors and management, Gallant made the decision to prioritize his recovery and return home to Prince Edward Island. According to the team, he's doing better and focusing on getting back to full health.
That left Shanghai at a pivotal crossroads. The Dragons are still in the playoff hunt, sitting ninth in the KHL’s Western Conference - just one spot shy of a postseason berth through 45 games. With the stretch run looming, the front office needed a coach who could step in immediately and keep the team competitive.
Enter Mitch Love.
“We are still in the playoff race, and with a significant portion of the season ahead, we evaluated multiple scenarios following Gerard Gallant’s departure,” said Dragons CEO Sergey Belykh in a statement. “After a thorough review of the market, our final choice was Mitch Love.”
Love’s coaching résumé speaks for itself. Before his time with the Washington Capitals as an assistant coach, he made waves in the AHL as the head coach of the Calgary Wranglers. He was named AHL Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023 - a rare feat that underscores his ability to develop talent and drive results.
His time in Washington, however, ended in controversy. In October 2025, Love was suspended for the 2025-26 NHL season, and subsequently let go by the Capitals.
The NHL cited “conduct detrimental to the league” as the reason for the suspension. Though the league noted that Love would be eligible to apply for reinstatement for the 2026-27 season under certain conditions, the incident cast a shadow over his coaching future in North America.
Love denied the allegations tied to the suspension but accepted the league’s decision, stating he would continue to cooperate with the process and expressed his desire to return to the sport.
Despite the off-ice controversy, Love remained a name of interest in coaching circles. Over the summer, he interviewed with several NHL teams - including the Bruins, Penguins, and Kraken - for head coaching roles, signaling that his reputation as a bench boss hadn’t been entirely diminished.
Now, he gets a fresh start in Shanghai with a team that’s still very much in the playoff picture. It’s a significant challenge: new league, new roster, new culture. But it’s also an opportunity - both for Love to reestablish himself as a head coach and for the Dragons to salvage a season that still holds promise.
If Love can tap into the same player development instincts and tactical acumen that made him a standout in the AHL, Shanghai could find themselves on the right side of the playoff line when the dust settles.