Lalonde’s coaching for his contract this upcoming season

Sports Illustrated’s Jon Alfano suggests that the Red Wings’ head coach is on a short leash this season, which he is:

After coming that close [to making the playoffs] last season, the expectation is to finish the job this time. If not, then there will be serious questions about the team’s leadership.

Maybe that’s an understatement, though, as there are already some questions out there. The Athletic’s NHL staff recently made predictions for the upcoming season, including who will be the first head coach fired. Detroit’s Derek Lalonde received 21.4 percent of the vote, tied with Pittsburgh Penguins bench boss Mike Sullivan for the most votes.

Lalonde, 52, came to Detroit after four years as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In two seasons, he has a 76-69-19 record behind the Red Wings’ bench.

The Brasher Falls, New York native is in the final season of his three-year contract, so if he starts the season poorly, he could be on his way out soon.

Detroit fans are among the most-passionate in the league, but as previously mentioned, they haven’t had much to celebrate over the past several years. They’ve remained patient over general manager Steve Yzerman’s first few years in charge, but that patience is now waning. Another season without a playoff appearance could very well cause some heads to roll in Motor City.

For the sake of Lalonde, and potentially others, a playoff berth is almost a necessity.

Continued; we all know that the last sentence is accurate. It’s a lot easier to change the coaching staff than it is to change the roster, and as much as I respect coach Lalonde, he is on an expiring contract this season, which means that he’s “playing for his contract” like any player this year.