Clowe, 33, was signed by the Devils to a reported five-year, $24.25 million contract on July 5, 2013. He had eight goals and 30 points in 56 games with New Jersey from 2013-2015. Clowe's contract expires after the 2017-18 season.
He was placed on long-term injured reserve during the 2014-15 season after a series of concussions, and although he hasn't officially retired, he told NorthJersey.com on Sept. 11, 2015, that he would not play another game in his career.
"I feel pretty good," Clowe said then. "I was starting to recover and starting to feel good again. I hoped that the opportunity might be there to play again, but it wasn't. But, overall, besides the whole emotional part of this, physically I feel pretty good. But, emotionally, it's a tough day or a tough last week or however long. That's how it goes."
Clowe worked closely with the staff and hockey operations last season in "a variety of roles," the Devils said.
"Even when I played, it's something I thought about after I finished playing," Clowe said of his interest in coaching. "The last lockout I actually spent some time coaching in the [ECHL] in San Francisco with the Bulls. I kind of knew that I was probably leaning towards that way. You never really know until you get an opportunity to be around it which I did last year. I knew early on it was probably something I wanted to pursue."
Selected by the San Jose Sharks in the sixth round (No. 175) of the 2001 NHL Draft, Clowe had 112 goals and 309 points in 491 games in 10 seasons in the NHL with the Devils, Sharks and New York Rangers. He had an NHL career-high 24 goals and 62 points with the Sharks in 2010-11.
"I know the commitment to coaching is something that you really got to be mentally prepared for," Clowe said. "Obviously the players get to go home a little earlier, the coaches grind it out a bit more, but for me, I am looking forward to it. Last year, being away from the game, I wanted more, more hours, more time to be around. ... I'm just looking to dive in, and I am hungry to get started."