Sylvain Lefebvre is back in the NHL.

The Columbus Blue Jackets announced on Wednesday that the longtime defenceman with 945 NHL games over 14 seasons will be joining Brad Larsen's staff as an assistant coach.

Lefebvre, 53, had been an assistant with the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League, the affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks.

"Sylvain was an honest, hard-working defenseman who was undrafted out of junior, but turned himself into a player with over 1,000 NHL regular season and playoff games and a leader on a Stanley Cup championship team," Larsen said in a statement. "He brings that same dedication and work ethic to coaching and will be a great asset for our players and our coaching staff."

Prior to joining the Gulls, Lefebvre spent six seasons in the Montreal Canadiens organization as head coach of their AHL affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs, St. John's IceCaps and Laval Rocket from 2012 to 2018.

The native of Richmond, Que. also has NHL coaching experience, spending three seasons as an assistant behind the bench with the Colorado Avalanche.

As a player, Lefebvre spent time with the Habs, Toronto Maple Leafs, Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche and New York Rangers, winning the Stanley Cup in 1996 with the Avs.

Larsen was named Jackets head coach earlier this month following the departure of John Tortorella after six seasons.