James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports
The Detroit Red Wings fired coach Derek Lalonde on Thursday, ending his tenure after parts of three years at the helm.
Lalonde – replaced by veteran bench boss Todd McLellan – posted a 13-17-4 record with the Red Wings this season, and the 52-year-old had a combined record of 89-86-23 during his time as Detroit’s coach. That record marked the end of his time with Motor City, and it is uncertain whether he did enough to earn another job as a bench boss in the NHL.
Lalonde’s tenure was not all bad news. The Wings improved after Lalonde’s first year as they finished seventh in the Atlantic Division. Last season, the Wings finished fifth in the Atlantic, tying the Washington Capitals in points. The Capitals held the tiebreaker for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
If the Red Wings had made the playoffs last season, Lalonde might have had more time with Detroit this year. But the start to this season hasn’t been encouraging enough – or at all.
The Red Wings pulled off a few straight wins here and there, beating the Toronto Maple Leafs and New Jersey Devils when they were at their best.
But in the grand scheme of things, Detroit lost too many games in a row too often, including a trio of three-game skids and a five-game losing streak in late November through early December. The Wings’ current three-game slump sealed Lalonde’s fate.
Lalonde didn’t have enough wins to make him a frontrunner for NHL head coaching jobs opening up in the future. He may have to return to the league as an assistant or associate coach. Former New York Islanders coach Lane Lambert held the role of associate coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs, while former Ottawa Senators coach DJ Smith is now an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings.
Even the coach who replaced Lalonde in Detroit, Jeff Blashill, is an assistant coach on Jon Cooper’s staff with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Lalonde won back-to-back Stanley Cups while serving as Cooper’s assistant with the Bolts from 2018 to 2022, so perhaps Lalonde could return if Lalonde and Cooper want to reunite.
Related: Detroit Red Wings Fire Coach Derek Lalonde, hire Todd McLellan
The NHL is a zero-sum business and the Red Wings decided to start over with McLellan after the holiday season because Lalonde couldn’t get enough wins. Some, if not many, should blame Detroit General Manager Steve Yzerman for not building enough of a solid NHL roster for Lalonde to work with, but the coaching change is an attempt to salvage what’s left is from the current season.
The NHL has seen fifteen coaching changes in the 2024 calendar year. That’s amazing, and we expect the layoff rate to decline somewhat by 2025. But as for Lalonde, he simply couldn’t continue to disappoint Red Wings fans. of railing about Detroit’s subpar play. His coaching career shouldn’t be over yet, but a head coaching role in the NHL might not be his next job as a result.
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