Toronto Maple Leafs Announce Exciting New Hire

When former Leafs associate coach Lane Lambert was hired by the Seattle Kraken last week, it left the Maple Leafs with a large vacancy behind Craig Berube's bench. That vacancy has now been filled.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced they have officially hired Derek Lalonde as their new assistant coach after a void was left on the bench with the departure of Lane Lambert.

Lalonde will be joining Craig Berube's staff ahead of the 2025-26 season but comes in with a ton of experience at all levels of professional hockey. He spent 3 years behind the bench as the head coach in the USHL, 2 years in the ECHL and 2 more years in the AHL before being promoted to the NHL.

Lalonde spent 4 years under Jon Cooper's regime in Tampa Bay between 2018-19 and 2021-22 as an assistant before finding greener pastures in Detroit as their head coach. In parts of 3 seasons with the Red Wings, Lalonde compiled a 89-86-23 record in 198 before being let go mid-season in 2024-25.

The former Red Wings coach's experience behind the bench should help the Maple Leafs as he was apart of 4 playoff runs that equated to 2 Stanley Cup championships, an additional Stanley Cup run that ended in heartbreak to Colorado, and a first round exit in his first year.

Following his last NHL head coaching gig Lalonde has since made several appearances on Sportsnet's panel during the NHL Playoffs as an analyst since his dismissal from Detroit, but it appears as though his career as an analyst is on an indefinite hiatus.

This move continues the trend of change that is taking place in Toronto this summer. Former president and alternate governor Brendan Shanahan has already been dismissed, Lambert left for Seattle, and there are several question marks regarding the NHL personnel from Mitch Marner to John Tavares. Now, with the hiring of Lalonde, the next additions and subtractions will occur at the draft and free agency.