The Pittsburgh Penguins' qualifying-round loss to the Montreal Canadiens cost assistant coaches Sergei Gonchar, Jacques Martin and Mark Recchi their jobs.

The team announced on Wednesday that it would not renew the contracts of all three assistants. The move came less than a week after the fifth-seeded Penguins fell to the 12th-seeded Canadiens in four mostly lifeless games. 

General manager Jim Rutherford promised significant changes after Pittsburgh dropped its opening-round postseason series for the second straight year. While head coach Mike Sullivan -- who guided the team to consecutive Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017 -- will stick around, he will have to move forward with a new staff in place.