The Montreal Canadiens have hired experienced NHL coach Derek Lalonde as Martin St. Louis’ new associate coach before the 2026-27 season. The move brings championship experience and over 20 years of coaching knowledge to Montreal.

The Canadiens announced on Monday that president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton named Lalonde for the role. The 53-year-old coach joins Montreal after working as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2025-26 season.

Lalonde adds another experienced coach to the Canadiens’ staff. He helped the Tampa Bay Lightning win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021 as an assistant coach. He joined Tampa Bay in 2018 and stayed with the team until 2022 before becoming the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings.

The same announcement shared details about Lalonde’s long coaching career before he reached the NHL. He received awards at different levels, including USHL Coach of the Year in 2011-12 after helping the Green Bay Gamblers win the Clark Cup. He also won the ECHL Coach of the Year award in 2014-15 with the Toledo Walleye.

Lalonde became the Detroit Red Wings’ head coach in 2022. According to TSN, he coached the team in 198 regular-season games and recorded an 89-86-23 record before the Red Wings fired him during the 2024-25 season.

After leaving Detroit, Derek Lalonde joined the Toronto Maple Leafs’ coaching staff for the 2025-26 season before moving to Montreal. His experience with championship teams could help Martin St. Louis as the Canadiens try to become a regular playoff team.

Montreal had a strong season, reaching the Eastern Conference Final before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes, who later won the Stanley Cup, according to TSN. Lalonde’s addition gives the Canadiens another experienced coach as they aim to improve further.

Derek Lalonde Brings Championship Experience and Long Coaching Resume

Before his NHL career, Lalonde spent many years developing teams and players at different levels. He coached in college hockey, the USHL, ECHL, and AHL, building a reputation as a coach who could improve teams.

Lalonde started his coaching career in the mid-1990s after playing as a goalie at Cortland State. He later worked as an assistant coach at colleges like Ferris State University and the University of Denver before becoming the head coach of the Green Bay Gamblers.

His success in the USHL helped him move into professional hockey. With the Toledo Walleye in the ECHL, Lalonde led the team to two straight Brabham Cup titles and won the John Brophy Award as the league’s top coach in 2015.

The same Canadiens press release also highlighted Lalonde’s Stanley Cup success with Tampa Bay. He played an important role on Jon Cooper’s coaching staff during the Lightning’s back-to-back title wins.

For Montreal, bringing in Lalonde adds more experience around Martin St. Louis. His playoff knowledge and experience of building winning teams could help the Canadiens continue their growth.

With Lalonde now part of St. Louis’ staff, can his championship experience help Montreal make a deeper Stanley Cup playoff run? What do you think? Let us know in the comments. 

Read more at NHL Fan Central.

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Kapil Manghnani brings over 4.5 years of experience in sports journalism, covering a wide range of sports, including Soccer, NHL, Tennis, Gymnastics, NASCAR, Swimming, and more. He has written for leading sports platforms, producing everything from breaking news and features to in-depth analysis, opinion pieces, long-form stories, and short-form content. Beyond articles, he has also scripted long-form storytelling videos for YouTube channels. His work focuses on delivering well-researched, engaging, and reader-first sports content across multiple formats.

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Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi