Did Fired Red Wings Coach Derek Lalonde Do Enough For Another NHL Bench Boss Job?

The Detroit Red Wings fired coach Derek Lalonde on Thursdayand ended 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 an 89-86-23 overall record in his time coaching Detroit. That record spelled the end of his time in the Motor City, and it’s 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, finishing seventh in the Atlantic Division. Last season, the Wings finished fifth in the Atlantic and tied 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 of this season was not encouraging enough – or at all.

The Red Wings picked up 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 big picture, Detroit lost too many games in a row too many times, including a trio of three-game skids and a five-game losing streak in late November through early December. The Wings’ current three-game skid sealed Lalonde’s fate.

Lalonde didn’t produce enough wins to make him a front-runner for NHL head coaching jobs that open up in the future. He may have to return to the league as an assistant or associate coach. Former coach of the New York Islanders Lane Lambert took an associate coaching role 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 Lalonde replaced 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 working as Cooper’s assistant with the Bolts from 2018 to 2022, so perhaps there could be an opportunity for Lalonde to 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 on a fresh start after the holiday break with McLellan because Lalonde couldn’t deliver enough wins. Some, if not much, of the blame must fall on Detroit GM Steve Yzerman for not building a solid enough NHL roster for Lalonde to work with, but changing coaches is an attempt to salvage what’s left of the current season.

The NHL has seen 15 coaching changes in the 2024 calendar year. That’s astounding, and we expect to see the firing rate drop somewhat in 2025. But as for Lalonde, he simply couldn’t keep disappointed Red Wings fans from lashing out at Detroit’s sub- standard game. His coaching career shouldn’t be over, but an NHL head coaching role might not be his next job as a result.

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