The Montreal Canadiens may finally have found a solution to their penalty kill struggles.
While the Montreal Canadiens have yet to announce it, Derek Lalonde has been hired as an assistant coach, and on top of bringing a much-needed dose of experience behind the bench, he could help sort out the Canadiens’ penalty kill.
Last season, the Habs PK had a 78.2% success rate, down from 80.9% in 2024-25, but it stood at just 76.4% back in 2023-24 and 72.7% in 2022-23. In fact, since Martin St-Louis took over the team, it has been a constant area of concern. While Stephane Robidas oversaw the PK last season, given Lalonde’s body of work, it would be surprising if that task didn’t fall to him going forward.
Last season, despite the Toronto Maple Leafs’ struggles, they ranked 8th in the league in PK efficiency at 81.2%, a success rate the Canadiens haven’t seen in years. St-Louis often speaks about putting players in the right chair, and the same goes for coaches.
When Lalonde joined Jon Cooper with the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2018-19, he was tasked with overseeing the PK, and his impact was immediate. In 2017-28, the Bolts had a 76.1% success rate and were 28th in the league in that respect. The following year, with Lalonde’s input, they were first in the league with an 85% success rate. The assistant coach stayed in Tampa Bay for three more seasons, and the PK’s lowest success rate during those years was 80.6%.
When the Bolts won the Cup in 2019-20, they had an 86% success rate on the PK. The only teams better than them in that department had not made it past the second round and had therefore played fewer games. In 2020-21, their PK success rate was 84.1%, second-highest among teams that advanced past the first round. Only the Dominique Ducharme-led Canadiens had a better success rate at 91.8% with Carey Price in net and the likes of Shea Weber on defense.
Hopefully, Lalonde will take over the PK duties and help the Canadiens improve in that crucial department. He could have been very handy in the last playoffs, as the Sainte-Flanelle finished its postseason with a 78.1% success rate when down a man, and the special team was even worse at home with a 73.7% success rate at the Bell Centre.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.
