The Montreal Canadiens have steadily been building one of the most impressive cores in the National Hockey League, and after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2026, the sky is the limit for this young core moving forward.
This summer, the team haven’t been too active in acquiring players yet, but given all the speculation around the organization, don’t be surprised when General Manager Kent Hughes gets aggressive and tries to add a second-line center to help them with their Stanley Cup push. On Wednesday, the team didn’t make that splashy add just yet, but on the bench, they managed to pry away a highly coveted coach from the rival Toronto Maple Leafs.
Montreal Canadiens Hire Derek Lalonde
GettyDerek Lalonde with the Detroit Red Wings.
Earlier in the week, the Maple Leafs made the shocking addition of long-time rival Daniel Alfredsson, with the Ottawa Senators icon and franchise great joining his Ontario rival by signing on as an assistant with the Maple Leafs.
While the Canadiens certainly weren’t looking to steal a coach away from their bitter Original Six rivals, they were looking to add to a coaching staff that needed plenty of experience, and according to reporter Eric Engels, they’ve done just that, hiring Derek Lalonde, who spent the 2025/26 season in Toronto.
According to Engels, the team are looking to replace assistant Trevor Letowski, who wants to remain in the organization but in a different role as he prepares to spend more time with his family following the 2025/26 season.
Before his one year stint in Toronto, Lalonde served as the Head Coach of the Detroit Red Wings for three seasons before being fired during the 2024/25 season, with his NHL experience as an assistant dating back to the 2018 season with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Canadiens Look to Take Major Leap in 2026/27
With this addition, the Canadiens are set up to be highly competitive in 2026/27, with the team now preparing to make the jump from young, hungry, talented team to genuine contenders after their performance this past Stanley Cup Playoffs. To do that, they’ll need to add significant experience to this roster, with the team having plenty of draft picks and prospect capital to potentially dangle in a trade that could allow them to add an experienced 2C to this roster.
If that doesn’t happen, the team are still set up for long-term success with contracts to Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Ivan Demidov, Jakub Dobes and Lane Hutson setting them up nicely for years to come in the highly competitive Atlantic Division.
With the addition of Lalonde, they get plenty of experience on a coaching staff that’s been building a very good culture in Montreal, and while he may still be looking to get behind the bench as a Head Coach in the National Hockey League before he retires one day, this is a fantastic move for the 53-year-old to get much more experience under his belt in a different situation with the Canadiens.
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