Maple Leafs hire ex-Red Wings coach Lalonde as assistant

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

Lalonde was fired by the Red Wings in December. Detroit had a 13-17-4 record at the time he was let go. The Red Wings went 89-86-23 under Lalonde and failed to make the playoffs in his three seasons at the helm.

The 52-year-old won two Stanley Cups as an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021. He was on Jon Cooper's staff from 2018-22 before being hired by the Red Wings.

Lalonde is a two-time Coach of the Year in the lower ranks. He claimed the award in 2012 with the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers and in 2015 with the ECHL's Toledo Walleye.

Lane Lambert was hired by the Seattle Kraken as the team's new head coach after one season as an associate coach with the Leafs.

Assistants Marc Savard and Mike Van Ryn remain on Berube's staff from last season.