Detroit Red Wings
What is Fair Way to Evaluate Lalonde's Effectiveness as Red Wings Coach?
From The Silky Mitten State: As Detroit strives for improvement in a crowded playoff race, what is the best way to judge coach Derek Lalonde?
Entering his third season behind the bench for the Detroit Red Wings, Derek Lalonde may well be facing his most difficult challenge yet. There can be no doubt that he has a stronger, deeper roster than the one he carried into his first year, though the comparison between this year's squad and last's is more mixed.
What has now doubt climbed is the standard of expectation around Lalonde's Red Wings. After a painfully close playoff miss last spring, GM Steve Yzerman has stated that he doesn't perceive the 2025 postseason as a necessity, but he did express a desire for "progress" this season, and it will difficult for that progress to feel meaningful without a playoff berth considering the ending to the 2023-24 campaign.
So, as Lalonde heads into what is believed to be a contract year, what will be the best way to evaluate his success? Surely Yzerman won't use as rudimentary a heuristic as "playoffs or no playoffs" to determine Lalonde's future, but how will he make that evaluation?
Connor Earegood and I discussed this question on the most recent episode of The Silky Mitten State. Connor argued in favor of the importance of developing some of his team's young talent, while I made the case that effectively solidifying his team's defense will be the key determining factor. You can check out a sample of our discussion in the video above, then listen to the full show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts: