Derek Lalonde thrilled about new additions to Red Wings coaching staff

The Detroit Red Wings welcomed more than just nine prospects and a goalie via trade to the organization last week.

Last Friday, Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman and newly minted head coach Derek Lalonde announced Detroit hired Bob Boughner as an associate coach and Alex Westlund as a goaltending coach.
Lalonde said hiring an associate coach with NHL head coaching experience was a critical, opportunistic move.
"He's coached a Norris Trophy winner and Stanley Cup winners," Lalonde said about Boughner last Friday at the Bell Centre in Montreal. "A huge piece, ecstatic. What makes me more excited is he probably had other options. I think he liked not only where our young D-core is and where it could be, but him being part of developing them in where our organization is and was."

Boughner, who was Detroit's 32nd overall pick in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, spent parts of the last three seasons as head coach of the San Jose Sharks and was at the helm of the Florida Panthers from 2017-19.
The NHL coaching and management tree is a tight-knit group. Lalonde took advantage of his relationships to do his homework on Boughner, and came away impressed
"I talked to (Dallas Stars head coach) Pete DeBoer about him, and I felt like Pete wanted to put his hands through the phone and slap me to hire him ASAP," Lalonde said. "That's how strongly he felt about him as a coach and how he'd be a really good fit for us."
Lalonde said talks with Boughner began over the phone and quickly progressed leading up to the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
"We were fortunate enough to have real positive talks throughout," Lalonde said. "We sat here the other day and said 'listen, let's try to get on this.' And Steve did, amongst his many other things going on."
Lalonde added that Boughner brings instant credibility to the Red Wings' bench.
"He's also a really good coach," Lalonde said. "One of many boxes he checked was the eagerness to develop these guys, both on the ice and in the video room. He was ecstatic for the opportunity."
Westlund, 46, arrives in Detroit after spending the past five seasons as an associate goaltending coach with the Washington Capitals' American Hockey League affiliate, the Hershey Bears.
Westlund will be tasked with guiding the Red Wings' goaltending tandem of Alex Nedeljkovic and the
newly acquired Ville Husso
, a pair Yzerman says "can play in the League."
"I think we got two guys who we can put in the net every night," Yzerman said to the media after Day 2 of the Draft. "And give us a really good chance to win."

Looking ahead to his rookie head coaching season, Lalonde is focused on synergies amongst his coaching staff. In particular, he plans on employing shared coaching duties on special teams, as Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper did when Lalonde was on the staff.
"I ran into experience in Tampa, and it's a huge credit to Jon Cooper, we did share all of our special teams," Lalonde said. "Even to the point of sharing meetings. I think it helps with ideas."