Maple Leafs hire former Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde as assistant

Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde, standing, watches during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)

TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired former Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde as an assistant on Craig Berube’s staff, the NHL team announced Friday.

The 52-year-old from Brasher Falls, N.Y., had a 89-86-23 record leading the Red Wings bench from the start of the 2022-23 season until he was fired midway through the 2024-25 campaign.

He previously spent four seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning as an assistant coach, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.

Lalonde was an assistant coach with the United States at the 2023 and 2024 world championships.

Before joining the NHL, he held head-coaching roles with the American Hockey League’s Iowa Wild, the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye and the United States Hockey League’s Green Bay Gamblers.

Mike Van Ryn and Marc Savard are Toronto’s other assistants. Associate coach Lane Lambert left the Maple Leafs a week ago to take over as Seattle’s head coach.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.