The Detroit Red Wings have parted ways with coach Derek Lalonde, naming Todd McLellan his replacement. The move comes as the team struggles through a disappointing season, currently on a three-game losing skid and having lost nine of their last 12 games.
General manager Steve Yzerman made the change just over a quarter into the season. Lalonde was nearing the end of his third season with Detroit after previously winning two Stanley Cups as an assistant coach with Tampa Bay.
Yzerman had hired Lalonde in 2022 with the goal of getting the team back into the playoffs, but despite signing key player Patrick Kane last offseason, success has not reached the Red Wings’ glory days. The team’s playoff drought is on track to reach a ninth year, the second-longest in the league.
McLellan, who is coaching his fourth NHL head coaching job, was hired after stints with San Jose, Edmonton, and Los Angeles. He returns to Detroit after previously working as an assistant coach under Mike Babcock during the 2008 Stanley Cup-winning season.
This marks the fourth coaching change around the NHL this season, joining recent firings in Boston, Chicago, and Winnipeg.
Source: https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/red-wings-fire-head-coach-derek-lalonde-todd-mclellan-takes-over