Derek Lalonde was hired as an assistant coach by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, a little over five months after he was fired as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings.
Lalonde, who became Red Wings coach at the start of the 2022-23 season, went 89-86-23, missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs in his two full seasons there. He was fired Dec. 26 and replaced by Todd McLellan.
Before coming to the Red Wings, he was an assistant coach for Jon Cooper and the Tampa Bay Lightning, helping them win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021.
He has also coached internationally with the United States, working as an assistant coach at the IIHF World Championships in 2023 and 2024.
Lalonde will join the staff of coach Craig Berube, who finished his first season as Maple Leafs head coach. The Maple Leafs went 52-26-4, finishing first in the Atlantic Division, but were eliminated in seven games by the Florida Panthers in the second round.
The Maple Leafs, who announced on May 22 that team president Brendan Shanahan would not return, have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967.
The Maple Leafs had an opening on their bench with Lane Lambert, a Toronto assistant this season, hired as coach of the Seattle Kraken on May 29.
