Lalonde fired, McLellan takes over

[Brewin Flames]

Red Wings fire coach Derek Lalonde, bring in Todd McLellan

The Detroit Red Wings fired coach Derek Lalonde on Thursday and named Todd McLellan as his replacement, a major change by general manager Steve Yzerman more than a third of the way through another disappointing season in the place known as "Hockeytown

The move comes with the Red Wings on a three-game skid and having lost nine of their past 12. They are 13-17-4 this season and are above only the lowly Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference

McLellan signed a multiyear contract to start his fourth NHL head coaching job after stints with San Jose, Edmonton and Los Angeles.

 

The 57-year-old McLellan was fired as head coach of the Kings in February after compiling a 164-130-44 record over four-plus seasons. He has a career record of 598-412-134 and has guided his teams to the playoffs nine times. His Sharks reached the Western Conference finals in 2010 and 2011.

 

He returns to the Motor City after getting his first job in the league as a Red Wings assistant in 2005 and serving under coach Mike Babcock on the team's 2008 title run.

His first game in charge in Detroit will be Friday against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs.

 

Lalonde, 52, was nearly midway through his third season with Detroit after winning the Stanley Cup twice as an assistant with Tampa Bay. He was 89-86-23 overall with the Red Wings.

Assistant Bob Boughner was also fired, and Trent Yawney was hired to work on McLellan's staff.

 

Despite signing three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Kane in 2023 and re-signing him last offseason, the success has not approached the Red Wings' glory days when they won the Cup four times between 1996-97 and 2007-08 -- three times with Yzerman as captain and once with him working in the front office. Instead, their playoff drought is on track to reach a ninth year, the second-longest stretch in the league behind Buffalo.

 

This is the fourth coaching change around the NHL this season and 15th this calendar year, counting Rick Bowness' retirement in Winnipeg. The Boston Bruins in November fired Jim Montgomery, who was hired by the St. Louis Blues less than a week later, and the Chicago Blackhawks replaced Luke Richardson with interim coach Anders Sorensen in early December.

[Brewin Flames]

McLellan hired as Red Wings coach, replaces Lalonde

57-year-old coached Kings last season, was assistant with Detroit from 2005-08

© Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images

ByNHL.com

@NHLdotcom

12:32 PM

Todd McLellan was named coach of the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.

 

The 57-year-old, who signed a multiyear contract, replaces Derek Lalonde, who was fired after three seasons.

 

McLellan, who coached the Los Angeles Kings last season before he was fired on Feb. 2, is 598-412-134 in 1,144 regular-season games with the San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers and Kings and 42-46 in 88 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

 

He ranks sixth among active coaches in wins behind Paul Maurice (891), Lindy Ruff (876), Peter Laviolette (823), John Tortorella (757) and Peter DeBoer (632).

 

He was 164-130-44 in five seasons with the Kings, who qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2022 and 2023, losing to the Oilers in the first round each time.

 

McLellan was also an assistant coach with the Red Wings from 2005-08 and won the Stanley Cup with them in 2008.

 

Lalonde, 52, was 89-86-23 in 198 games with the Red Wings. He came to Detroit after four seasons as an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning and helped them win the Stanley Cup twice (2020, 2021).

 

The Red Wings (13-17-4) are seventh in the Atlantic Division and have lost three straight games. They next play the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, SNO, TVAS).

Entering Thursday, the Red Wings rank 29th in goals per game (2.56), 25th in goals against per game (3.26) and 31st on the penalty kill (68.8 percent).

 

The Red Wings have not made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season; the eight-season playoff drought is the longest in team history, and followed 25 straight seasons of qualifying for the playoffs.

Detroit finished tied in points with the Washington Capitals for the final playoff spot from the Eastern Conference last season but lost on a tiebreaker.

 

The Red Wings also fired associate coach Bob Boughner on Thursday, and named Trent Yawney an assistant. He served in the same role under McLellan with the Kings from 2019-24.

 

Lalonde is the fourth NHL coach fired this season, joining Jim Montgomery (Boston Bruins, Nov. 19), Drew Bannister (St. Louis Blues, Nov. 24) and Luke Richardson (Chicago Blackhawks, Dec. 5).

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Oh boy...
The Todd McLellan detractors are gonna have a field day with this...  

[yave1964]

Solid signing for the Wings, knew it was coming, it was just a matter of who it would be. 

 

  Mclellan was a safe pick. There are others such as Gallant or Boudreau who gives the team a shot in the arm who wins short term but has no long term vision. McLellan is a fine signing with a solid pedigree. I truly was very nervous it would be Quenneville, just being anyone else is a boost for me. I had been told that Jay Woodcroft was nearly named a week or so ago, he made me nervous. I woulda rather had McLellan any day over Woodcroft.

 

 Satisfied. 

[yave1964]

Bob boughner fired as well, replaced by Trent Yawney. Never liked Yawney as a player, when he played against my Wings while he was a Blackhawk he always played us hard, but that is a milllion years ago. He has been with McLellan for three straight coaching regimes which should make him a good fit for the Wings.

[Brewin Flames]

Seems Like since Todd took over, the Wings are starting to rack up some wins....not a shock to me.