Maple Leafs New Hire Derek Lalonde Far More Significant Than Originally Thought

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a key announcement on Friday when they officially unveiled Derek Lalonde as their new assistant coach to fill the void left by associate coach Lane Lambert, who found greener pastures as the new head coach in Seattle.

Lalonde comes into the fold with a ton of experience in all levels of hockey after having spent time behind the bench in the USHL, ECHL, AHL, NHL, as well as internationally. His most recent post was as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, which lasted 2+ seasons before he was ultimately dismissed earlier this year.

However, as an assistant coach, Lalonde spent 4 years in that role with the Tampa Bay Lightning under Jon Cooper. He was a key contributor to their back to back Stanley Cup championships, as well as their run to 3 straight Stanley Cup Final appearances.

It was his job to take control of the penalty kill, and unsurprisingly, the Lightning held the third best unit during his four-year tenure, including the league's best penalty kill in his first season in 2018-19 as well as a 4th place finish in 2020-21.

For the Maple Leafs, that should be music to their ears after finishing 17th league-wide with a 77.87% success rate on the penalty kill in 2024-25. They also finished 23rd in 2023-24 and 12th in 2022-23, so Lalonde's presence should help immensely.

Toronto's penalty kill improved a bit in the post-season as they finished with an 81.57% success rate through their 13 playoff games, which included 19 out of 23 attempts against the Florida Panthers. Despite late season success, Lalonde's presence should help even more next season, which could further propel them in the standings.

It remains to be seen what kind of personnel he'll run with, considering the fact that big changes are expected in Toronto. However, we should see a significantly different outcome in 2025-26 when it comes to special teams in Toronto -- especially when it comes to the penalty kill.