Red Wings Coach Next on Hot Seat

The Detroit Red Wings may follow the Boston Bruins footsteps as their head coach's seat is getting warmer.

Apr 11, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde comes off the ice after their loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images / James Guillory-Imagn Images

As teams across the NHL hit the 20-game mark there is a growing sense that plenty of change is coming for various teams, including the Detroit Red Wings. Entering the year, Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde was among the top names likely to be the next coach fired in the NHL.

The Boston Bruins beat the Red Wings by parting ways with Jim Montgomery, but there is still a real chance Lalonde is the next to go. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger on Insider Trading, things might be heating up in Detroit.

“I’m looking right at the Detroit Red Wings,” Dreger said. “That’s not new information, but it’s definitely heating up there.”

 Dreger referenced that the start the Red Wings are having is playing a big role in the added speculation in Detroit. They’re 7-9-2 and in a three-way tie at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with just 16 standings points.

There is hope that an upcoming home stand can help right the ship in the standings, but it could be a make-or-break stretch for Lalonde.

“You do have to consider the what ifs? And what if this home stand doesn’t produce results for the Detroit Red Wings?” asked Dreger. “If this home stand does not produce results, I think you potentially could see a head coaching change.”

Lalonde is in his third season as Red Wings head coach and third season ever as an NHL bench boss. He hasn’t pushed the Red Wings into the postseason in either of his first two years, despite being in the conversation most of last year.

In 182 career games as head coach, Lalonde has an 83-78-21 record.

Before joining the Red Wings, Lalonde served as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning and was part of their back-to-back Stanley Cup runs in 2020 and 2021.

Coaching changes have been rapid in the NHL in recent years and the Red Wings might be next on the docket after the Bruins kicked things off.

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