It appears the NHL’s annual holiday roster freeze doesn’t extend to the coaching ranks.

On Thursday morning, the Detroit Red Wings announced they were parting ways with head coach Derek Lalonde and associate coach Bob Boughner.

They will be replaced by new head Todd McLellan and assistant coach Trent Yawney.

Lalonde, 52, was a first-time NHL head coach and was in his third season with Detroit. He leaves with a record of 89-86-23 for 201 points and a .508 points percentage over 198 games.

And although the Red Wings failed to end a seven-year playoff drought last season with a tiebreaker, they took a step back this year. After losing its final three games before the break, Detroit fell to second-to-last in the Eastern Conference with a 13-17-4 record for 30 points in 34 games. Averaging just 2.56 goals per game, the fourth lowest in the league, the team’s minus-23 goal differential is the worst in the Eastern Conference.

In McLellan, Detroit brings in an experienced coach with a strong pedigree and pre-existing ties to the organization. Before accepting his first NHL head coaching job with the San Jose Sharks in 2009, the 57-year-old from Melville, Saskatchewan, was an assistant to Mike Babcock at Hockeytown for three seasons, including including the Stanley Cup winning campaign in 2007-08.

In addition to San Jose, McLellan also served as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings. Overall, he has a record of 598-412-134 for 1,330 points and a .581 points percentage in 1,144 games. He has been unemployed for a little less than a year, drawn by kings on February 2, 2024.

After a streak of 25 consecutive seasons of playoff appearances from 1991 to 2016, including Stanley Cup victories in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008, the Red Wings have now gone eight seasons without a playoff appearance – second only to the Buffalo Sabres. (13 seasons). They have yet to play a single playoff game at Little Caesars Arena, which opened in the fall of 2017. The coaching change could also increase pressure on franchise legend Steve Yzerman, the former captain, three-time Cup winner as a player and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, he is now in his sixth season as executive vice-president and general manager of the club, but has yet to experience playoff success.

Lalonde’s dismissal is the fourth of the NHL season. He succeeds two coaches hired a few days after him in June 2022: Jim Montgomery was released by the Boston Bruins on November 19 and Luke Richardson was fired by the Chicago Blackhawks on December 5.

The St. Louis Blues also parted ways with Drew Bannister less than a year after hiring Montgomery on November 24.

With the Red Wings currently sitting eight points out of a wild card spot in the East, McLellan has his work cut out for him if the team hopes to end its playoff drought this year. His first task may be to get the most out of two veteran stars.

After a successful campaign of 20 goals and 47 points in 50 games after returning from hip resurfacing surgery last year, Patrick Kane has just five goals and 14 points in 29 games this year. And former 40-goal scorer Vladimir Tarasenko, who signed a two-year free agent contract at $4.75 million per season after winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last spring, was also a disappointment. Playing on his fifth team in less than two years, the 33-year-old has just four goals and 12 points in 33 games.

One positive in Detroit was the play of veteran Cam Talbot in net. Signed at a two year contract At $2.5 million per season, the 37-year-old has a .912 save percentage and ranks among the league’s top 10 with 9.0 goals recorded above expectations. Talbot’s resurgence began last season, when he thrived under McLellan’s defensive system and represented the Kings at the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend.

The Red Wings will help kick off an eight-game slate when the NHL returns Friday, hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs at 7 p.m. ET at Little Caesars Arena.