NHL News: 2x Stanley Cup champion who played with Auston Matthews retires but vows to help Maple Leafs in new role

The offseason of changes takes no days off in Hogtown. The emotional goodbyes aren’t strictly limited to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ locker room, but extend to the entire organization. Now, a former teammate of Auston Matthews who hoisted two Stanley Cups in his NHL career has retired. However, he isn’t skipping town just yet.

When one door closes, another one opens—sometimes in the same city. That was the case for a former Maple Leafs teammate of Matthews, who had spent the last seasons with the AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. Now, the time has officially come for him to hang up the skates—but he’s not going far from the rink.

Kyle Clifford was a member of the Los Angeles Kings’ squad to hoist two Stanley Cups in a three-year span from 2012 to 2014. The gritty left-winger was traded to Toronto twice in his NHL career. First, in 2020 from the Kings, and again just one year later, this time from the St. Louis Blues, who had signed him as a free agent that very season.

Now, Clifford has announced his retirement from his professional career, but his next role with the Maple Leafs will have him in close proximity to the ice. Particularly the rink at Ford Performance Centre. Clifford has now taken on a role in player development with the Maple Leafs, as reported by @mayorNHL on X.

Kyle Clifford #43 of the Toronto Maple Leafs heads to practice prior to playing against the Buffalo Sabres during the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Tim Hortons Field on March 12, 2022 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Tailored for the job

Clifford has long been acknowledged as a team-first player in the NHL. The former second-round selection in the 2009 NHL entry Draft has been a talent coaches loved to have on their teams, and teammates adored having alongside them.

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His physical presence was impossible to miss on the ice, and there was no corner or tight space he wasn’t willing to battle in for his team’s sake. Now, that same personality will be working closely with Matthews and company, following their every step and aiming to get the best out of every Leaf. Whether the results will be in full display during the 2025-26 NHL season, that’s a whole other story.

Here we go again

At the end of the day, much has happened since the humbling 6–1 defeat in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs’ second round against the Florida Panthers. It will take more than Clifford’s appointment to weather the storm that has swept through Toronto ever since.

Simply put, it will require an all-out team effort—and then some—for things to return to normal. That is, of course, if normality was ever a defining trait in The Six. Needless to say, Matthews and the Buds have their work cut out for them.