Toronto Maple Leafs hire ex-Red Wings boss Derek Lalonde as assistant coach

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The Maple Leafs have added another voice of experience behind the bench.

The team announced on Friday afternoon that it has hired Derek Lalonde as an assistant coach.

The 52-year-old Lalonde joins Craig Berube’s staff after he was head coach of the Detroit Red Wings for three seasons, from 2022-24 until he was fired this past December.

Lalonde, a native of Brasher Falls, N.Y., previously was an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning and was part of the staff that guided the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021.

Lalonde also has been a guest analyst on Sportsnet’s playoff hockey coverage in the past few years.

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The job on the Leafs coaching staff became available last week when the Seattle Kraken hired Lane Lambert, who was an associate coach in Toronto, as its head coach.

Lalonde joins a Leafs staff that includes Berube, assistants Mike Van Ryn and Marc Savard, and goaltending coach Curtis Sanford.

During his tenure in Detroit, Lalonde coached 198 games with a record of 89-86-23 as the team went through a rebuilding phase. The Red Wings had a record of 13-17-4 at the time of his dismissal this past season.

Lalonde also has served as an assistant coach with the United States national team at the world hockey championship in 2023 and 2024.

Lalonde’s head coaching resume also includes stints in the American Hockey League, the United States Hockey League and the ECHL.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun