Former Capitals assistant Mitch Love named head coach in KHL amid NHL suspension

Mitch Love, who was fired by the Capitals as an assistant coach in October 2025 after being suspended for the 2025-26 NHL season, reportedly due to alleged domestic abuse, has been hired as the next head coach of the Shanghai Dragons in the KHL. Gerard Gallant, who coached the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights and New York Rangers in the NHL, recently stepped away from the position due to health reasons. “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,” Dragons CEO Sergey Belykh said in a statement. “After a thorough review of the market, our final choice was Mitch Love.” Love, 41, served as an assistant coach for the Capitals for two seasons, and head coach of the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers prior to that. Love was named AHL Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023. At the time of his suspension in 2025, the NHL cited “conduct detrimental to the league” as the reason in a statement to The Athletic. The league said he would be eligible to apply for reinstatement for the 2026-27 season “subject to certain conditions.” “While I am disappointed by and disagree with the NHL’s decision, I respect the process and accept both the league’s findings and the Capitals’ decision,” the statement said. “I will continue to openly cooperate throughout this process. That said, I fully deny the allegations against me and look forward to returning to the sport I love as soon as possible.” This past summer, Love interviewed with the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins and Seattle Kraken for their head-coaching vacancies. Love takes over a Dragons team that currently sits in ninth place in the KHL’s Western Conference standings through 45 games — one spot out of playoff position.