The Detroit Purple Wings introduced that head coach Derek Lalonde and assistant Bob Boughner had been relieved of their duties. The staff additionally introduced that former Los Angeles Kings head coach Todd McLellan has been signed to a multi-year deal to develop into the twenty ninth bench boss in Detroit franchise historical past.
Derek Lalonde has been relieved of head teaching duties, Todd McLellan has been named the brand new head coach of the Detroit Purple Wings. https://t.co/xYtYTSVosY
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 26, 2024
Three straight losses heading into the vacation break have been the ultimate nail within the coffin for Lalonde, who had been on the recent seat for over a month. The Wings each anticipated and wanted to take a step ahead in 2024-25. They completed with a 41-32-9 report final season, simply narrowly lacking out on their first playoff berth since 2016 and likewise marking their first season above .500 since that yr. However a horrid marketing campaign offensively up to now for the Purple Wings, who rank twenty ninth within the league at 2.56 targets per recreation, has them with a 13-17-4 report at Christmas and eight factors again of the Ottawa Senators for the ultimate wild-card spot within the Jap Convention.
Lalonde was employed in June 2022 after spending the earlier 4 years on Jon Cooper’s workers with the Tampa Bay Lightning, a stretch that included championships in 2020 and ’21 and, most not too long ago, a 3rd consecutive journey to the Stanley Cup Closing. He coached within the ECHL and American Hockey League earlier than becoming a member of the Lightning, which included a USHL championship with the Inexperienced Bay Gamblers.
