Kitchen was hired as an assistant coach by the Newmarket Saints of the AHL for the 1988–89 season, and was subsequently hired for the same position by the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he spent eight seasons helping them to conference finals appearances in 1993 and 1994. He then left Toronto for the same position with the St. Louis Blues franchise, a position he held until his elevation to head coach halfway through the 2003–04 NHL season. The Blues struggled and were 9th place in the Western Conference when they fired Joel Quenneville and replaced him with Kitchen as head coach. However under Kitchen, they picked up their play and went 10–7–4 in the process to make the playoffs once again.