Derek Lalonde is moving one province away for his next NHL job.
The Montreal Canadiens are hiring Lalonde as an assistant coach, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reported Wednesday.
Lalonde will replace Trevor Letowski on the bench.
Letowski, who has been with the Canadiens since 2021, decided to leave to spend more time with his family. The Canadiens want to keep Letowski in the organization, Engels added.
Lalonde’s hiring by Montreal comes a day after the Toronto Maple Leafs announced he would not return to the team for the 2026-27 season.
Lalonde joined the Maple Leafs last summer as an assistant to Craig Berube.
Before joining the Maple Leafs, Lalonde most recently coached the Detroit Red Wings for three seasons. During his tenure as head coach, Lalonde had a record of 89-86-23.
Prior to his time in Detroit, Lalonde served as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2018 to 2022. During his time in Tampa, he helped the team win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.