Former Maple Leafs assistant head coach Derek Lalonde is set to join the Montreal Canadiens after Toronto made several key changes behind the bench.
As the Maple Leafs continue their offseason overhaul, they have decided that a new coaching regime is best for the team going forward. Out is Craig Berube and in is Jim Hiller not to mention a brand new supporting cast of assistant coaches.
Daniel Alfredsson, Brad Werenka, and John Gruden are in which means Mike Van Ryn, Steve Sullivan and Derek Lalonde are headed elsewhere. Sullivan is reportedly headed back to the Toronto Marlies but Van Ryn and Lalonde are left looking for work.
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Lalonde replaces Letwoeski who moves off the bench for family reasons
Well for Lalonde it didn't take too long for him to get behind a bench once again.
It was reported by Sportsnet's Eric Engels that the Montreal Canadiens were in the process of bringing Lalonde in behind the bench as he looks to replace Trevor Letowski after five seasons with him as an assistant:
The Montreal Canadiens are hiring Derek Lalonde to join their coaching staff as an assistant. He will be replacing Trevor Letowski, who's decided to step off the bench to have more time with his family. It's the Canadiens' desire to keep Letowski in the organization.
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Letowski was part of the Canadiens coaching staff since 2021-22 and will now be focusing more on family. Lalonde on the other hand comes to the Canadiens bench with a fair bit of coaching experience.
Spending three years as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, he compiled a 89-86-23 record and also spent time as an assistant with Toronto and Tampa Bay while also coaching in the AHL with Iowa.
A rival now knows what Toronto's locker room looks like
The big factor that comes with the hiring is the fact that Toronto now has a heated rival with an inside scoop of how the team operates. Granted there's been turnover but not for the stars, and his knowledge of Auston Matthews and company will be invaluable to Montreal.
We're not saying Lalonde is going to use his knowledge for evil but it does give the Canadiens an advantage if they can find ways to disrupt Toronto in ways they didn't expect.
He was responsible for Toronto's penalty kill and while that got a makeover, there are still going to be players who he is familiar with on that penalty kill and can give the Canadiens a way to work around those potential obstacles.
Lalonde's future was always hanging in the balance after Toronto managed to transform their coaching staff but their loss is Montreal's gain and he could he a hidden asset to the Maple Leafs' biggest rivals.
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