Red Wings Make Coaching Change, Hire Veteran

The Detroit Red Wings have made a coaching change ahead of their return from the holiday break.

Oct 15, 2022; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Kings head coach Todd McLellan looks on during the third period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images / Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images

The Detroit Red Wings will return from the holiday break with a new head coach behind the bench. After 34 games of the 2024-25 season, the Red Wings have fired head coach Derek Lalonde and associate coach Bob Boughner from their duties.

In their place, the Red Wings have hired a veteran of the NHL coaching world in Todd McLellan. While McLellan will serve as the new head coach in Detroit, he will be joined by Trent Yawney as assistant coach.

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— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 26, 2024

McLellan has coached 1,1144 games at the NHL level split between the San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings. Over his 16-year coaching career, McLellan has picked up a 598-412-134 record.

The last few seasons with the Kings haven’t been ideal for McLellan, but he helped lead the Sharks to three straight first-place finishes between 2009 and 2011. The Kings fired McLellan fired after 48 games of the 2023-24 season.

Lalonde entered the 2024-25 season already on a hot seat as one of the most likely coaches to be fired. The Red Wings entered the holiday break riding a three-game losing streak and 3-7-2 in their last 12 games.

Currently sitting seventh in the Atlantic Division, the Red Wings were expected to take big steps forward towards a playoff spot. The Red Wings haven’t reached the Stanley Cup Playoff since 2016.

In 198 games as Red Wings head coach, Lalonde picked up an 89-86-23 record. Detroit was his first NHL head coaching job.

McLellan was among the leading candidates for multiple teams heading into this season, but never landed a job.

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