Toronto Maple Leafs Officially Hire a New Coach
Photo credit: Imagn Images
With Lane Lambert leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs for the Seattle Kraken, Craig Berube has been looking for someone new to join his staff.
The Toronto Maple Leafs made their first big announcement of the offseason on Friday as it was revealed that Derek Lalonde would be their next assistant coach.
After being let go by the Detroit Red Wings following a three-season tenure, Lalonde began doing work with Sportsnet, where he was an analyst.
However, he has been looking for a new coaching gig, and he has ultimately found one with the Leafs, who have been trying to replace Lane Lambert since his departure to the Seattle Kraken.
Overall, Lalonde has a wealth of experience, and he has been on some Stanley Cup-winning teams as an assistant. That said, it is easy to see why the Leafs would bring him in.
Derek Lalonde's coaching career
In the announcement on the Leafs' website, they offered some significant stats on Lalonde's career as a coach in the National Hockey League.
As you can see, it is pretty impressive, and he has been with a lot of teams.
Lalonde, 52, joins the Maple Leafs after serving as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings for three seasons (2022-23 to midseason of 2024-25) where he accumulated an 89-86-23 record (.508). The Brasher Falls, New York native previously spent four seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning as an assistant coach (2018-19 to 2021-22), winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021. During that span, he also coached internationally with the United States, working as an assistant coach at the IIHF World Championships in both 2023 and 2024.
His time working in the minors is also very impressive, and one can only imagine he will become a head coach again someday.
Prior to joining the Lightning, Lalonde served as head coach of the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild from 2016-18, compiling a 69-58-17-8 record. He also spent two seasons with the ECHL's Toledo Walleye (2014-16), leading the team to a 97-35-7-5 record. During his first season in 2014-15, Lalonde led the Walleye to a 50-15-5-2 mark, winning the Brabham Cup as the ECHL's regular-season champion, and earning Lalonde recognition with the John Brophy Award as the ECHL's Coach of the Year. He began his head coaching career with the United States Hockey League's Green Bay Gamblers, amassing a 114-56-8-6 record as head coach and general manager from 2011-14. He was named the USHL's Coach of the Year in 2011-12 after the Gamblers compiled a 47-9-2-2 record and captured the organization's fourth Clark Cup title.
We wish Lalonde the best of luck in his new role with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Previously on TorontoLeafsInsider
| POLL | ||
JUIN 6 | 364 ANSWERS Toronto Maple Leafs Officially Hire a New Coach Do you believe Derek Lalonde will be good for the Toronto Maple Leafs? | ||
| YES | 257 | 70.6 % |
| NO | 107 | 29.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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