It was a busy week for Derek Lalonde, who would find out on Tuesday that he would not be back with the Toronto Maple Leafs as assistant head coach. However, he wasn't out of work long, as it was announced one day later that he would be joining the Montreal Canadiens in the same capacity.
Lalonde will be replacing Trevor Letowski on the Canadiens staff, as he had decided to step away from the role, according to Eric Engel with Sportsnet.
The addition of Lalonde gives the Montreal Canadiens a wealth of experience as he has been an assistant coach for five seasons in the NHL, including on the staff of the Tampa Bay Lightning's two Stanley Cup teams in 2020 and 2021. He was also the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings but struggled in that role as he was fired midway through his third season.
Pierre McGuire explains what Derek Lalonde will bring to the Montreal Canadiens staff
Recently, Pierre McGuire was on The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro and was asked his thoughts on Lalonde, what he will bring, and how he might fit on the staff.
"There's a lot of experience, understands power play, understands penalty kill and more of a tactical guy. I would say less of a motivator and more of a tactical guy. He'll help with the development of some of the younger players," McGuire said.
He did add that he didn't think it would be a good fit for the Canadiens to bring him in as a head coach but as an assistant coach he is a great fit.
While Martin St. Louis has been the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens for around four and a half seasons, he didn't have a ton of experience prior to this role. It makes perfect sense for the Canadiens to go out and find a coach with more experience who can help support St. Louis as this team tries to go further into the playoffs and reach the Stanley Cup Final.
This shouldn't be the last move the Montreal Canadiens make for their coaching staff this offseason, as St. Louis is looking for a new contract. He is entering the final year of his current deal, and it would make a lot of sense to lock him up long-term ahead of the season.
The move may have come as a surprise when it was announced, but as McGuire lays out, this is a good addition to the coaching staff and should help them next season.
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