Kovalev named head coach of KHL's Kunlun Red Star

A former NHL sniper is the KHL's newest bench boss.

Kunlun Red Star named Alexei Kovalev its new head coach, the club announced Monday.

Kovalev spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the Chinese club. Prior to joining Kunlun, he served as general manager of Swiss team Visp.

The 47-year-old racked up 430 goals and 1,029 points in 1,316 NHL games, winning the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994.

He spent parts of nine seasons with the Rangers, parts of six campaigns with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and five with the Montreal Canadiens, as well as shorter stints with the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers, with whom he finished his NHL career in 2012-13.

Kunlun joined the KHL in 2016-17. Red Star made the playoffs in their inaugural season - losing in the opening round in five games - but have failed to reach the postseason since then.