DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills reports that Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde took part in a Q and A session with Ilitch Sports + Entertainment employees recently. Lalonde and Wings play-by-play announcer Ken Daniels discussed the direction of the team:
“Coming to the arena late in the season, those butterflies, you could feel the tension in the room because it mattered,” Lalonde said. “We’re methodically going in the right direction. To see some of the growth in those guys, yes it translates to wins, but it’s very rewarding as a coach.”
In 2023-24, his second season behind Detroit’s bench, Lalonde guided the club to its most wins (41) and points (91) since the 2015-16 campaign. And for the Red Wings to build on that success, the 51-year-old head coach said every player must be more committed to team defense.
“We’re going to ask the group for a little more this year,” Lalonde said. “Those teams that end up at the very end, the experience I had winning Stanley Cups, there was still an emphasis about keeping it out of the net.”
The Red Wings will open their 2024-25 regular-season schedule on Oct. 10 against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Little Caesars Arena. Lalonde said he’s excited about the potential of Detroit’s roster, expressing an eagerness to see how Patrick Kane performs after a full, healthy offseason.
Kane recorded 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists) in 50 games last season after signing a one-year contract with the Red Wings on Nov. 28, following hip resurfacing surgery on June 1, 2023.
“First and foremost, I think it says something about Patrick Kane that he wanted to be here,” Lalonde said about Kane signing a one-year contract extension. “I think he was very clear in the process that he probably had — and obviously I wasn’t involved in those meetings but talking with Patrick after — better opportunity, more term and probably more money (in NHL free agency), but he felt part of something here last year.”
