Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens are making a change to their coaching staff, with former Detroit Red Wings head coach replacing Trevor Letowski as one of Martin St-Louis’ assistants.
Lalonde, 53, was most recently a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he also served as an assistant coach.
As for Letowski, his departure comes as a surprise, but there’s no denying being a part of an NHL coaching staff is a demanding job, as he’s not the first assistant coach to leave the job in a bid to spend more time with his family. Alex Burrows stepped down from the job in 2024, though he remained a part of the organization as a player development consultant. It does not appear that Letowski will keep any type of role with the Canadiens.
The Montreal Canadiens are hiring Derek Lalonde to join their coaching staff as an assistant. He will be replacing Trevor Letowski, who's decided to step off the bench to have more time with his family. It's the Canadiens' desire to keep Letowski in the organization.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) July 8, 2026
Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks
While there’s no doubt Lalonde’s time as a head coach for the Red Wings was tumultuous, to say the least, it’s important to remember his role with the Canadiens is likely to focus on the defensive side of the planning, using his many years of insight to help the team in a few facets, including the penalty kill.
The Habs’ penalty kill struggled last season, finishing 18th in the NHL with a 78.2% efficiency. The Leafs, on the other hand, did much better in that department, despite finishing among the worst teams in the league in the overall standings. Toronto’s penalty kill clocked in at 8th in the NHL, to the tune of 81.2%.
Between 2018 and 2022, Lalonde served as an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning, winning two Stanley Cups in the process. His work while opponents were on the man advantage was legendary, especially since the Lightning were running at just 76.1% (28th) the season prior to Lalonde joining the fold.
While he was in Tampa Bay, their penalty kill improved significantly, and immediately. They had the best penalty kill in the league in 2018-19 (85%), and maintained the third-best results throughout his tenure (82.7%).
The question remains whether it will impact Stephane Robidas, another coach who focused on defensive assignments, and losing Letowski, an assist coach who was beloved by his players, won’t be easy from a player-management standpoint.
But given that St-Louis is already one of the most affable player-coaches in the league, the Canadiens are essentially addressing a clear-cut area of weakness by adding Lalonde, and his 30+ years of coaching experience, to the fold.
