Potential Next Stops for Former Red Wings Coach

New coach Todd McLellan met the Detroit Red Wings the morning of December 27th, just 10 days and five games ago but already it's made the preceding Derek Lalonde tenure feel like a distant memory.  With the Red Wings riding a season-high four-game winning streak, Lalonde's final game—Dec. 23 against the Blues, a 4–0 defeat—seems like a different era, played by a different team.  Given the early improvements under McLellan, it's hard to deny the coaching was necessary, if not overdue.  Still, that Lalonde's tenure didn't end well (and, really, what NHL coaching tenure does?) doesn't mean that the now dismissed coach is inept and unfit to ever return to an NHL head coaching role.

Presumably, Lalonde will ride out the rest of the season on the sidelines, then look to find a new gig during the offseason.  So, with that in mind, what are some potential options for his next stop?

By far the likeliest option seems to be returning to an NHL assistant role.  He was Jon Cooper's top lieutenant in Tampa Bay during the Lightning's run to three straight Stanley Cup Finals (winning the first two), so perhaps a return to Tampa could be his first option.  While that could very well prove successful, I suspect going back to the Lightning would make it more difficult to eventually return to a head coaching gig, as it would be difficult for him to demonstrate growth and new understanding out of a familiar environment.

If Lalonde doesn't want another NHL head coaching job down the line, that doesn't matter, but if he does, I imagine he would be better served finding a new current coach to learn and work under.  He has a good relationship with Blues head coach Jim Montgomery, so perhaps that could be an option.  Heading farther south in Florida to work under Paul Maurice with the Panthers could offer a different variation on the education in winning he earned under Cooper with the Bolts.

As a more off-the-board option, I'd also be intrigued by the possibility of Lalonde taking an NCAA coaching gig.  He has experience at Denver University, and I think his skillset—as a communicator, in particular—would be well suited to a collegiate role.  It wouldn't be as lucrative as the NHL, but he would have more job security, and if he can abide the turbulent bureaucratic landscape around the NCAA, it might be more rewarding.

Regardless of his chosen path, I think it's important to remember that just because Lalonde didn't ultimately work out in Detroit doesn't mean he is some bumbling, incompetent coach who could never succeed in the NHL.  It is more than possible that his experience with the Red Wings helps fuel Lalonde to a successful second act behind an NHL bench eventually.  After all, look around the league: There is no shortage of coach firings, and each vacancy needs to be filled.

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