What do you think should happen with Derek Lalonde?

[FMichael]

It should have happened at the end of last season. Seeing what became of the team as a whole during the two major losing streaks, both as a unit and as individuals, cemented for me that he needed to go. Uninspired and undisciplined, to say the least. We shouldn't be surprised that he's lost the room, he lost it for extended periods of time before.

This right here...1st season I was like - hmm looks familiar (not in a good way)...2nd season - yeah he needs to go...Now it's like - why is anyone surprised we look like shit?

 

[AlwaysSunnyInDetroit]

Don't even need to win the lottery for it, too. As long as they're in the top 5, there's going to be a first/second line player to be had.

i would be ecstatic for any of the top 4 this year

Feb 12-20. At that point you'd probably just ride it out.

is the nhl really doing that? holy shit that's lame

 

[OneMoreTry]

is the nhl really doing that? holy shit that's lame

And it sucks from a (sports) calendar POV, because it's after the Super Bowl. Like one sport you watch has just finished the season, and then the other goes on a one-week-break. Had they done it a month earlier, while there is NFL divisional round, doesn't matter that much.

But I guess at the NBA's offices they like how this is planned.

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

I look forward to spending this Christmas season expecting he gets fired, only to get through it and realize we still wont.

 

[MabusIncarnate]

My primary purpose of following this team at this point of the season is checking here daily for news that Lalonde has been fired.

Even that one season where we were dead last, I didn't feel like the games were just a slog to watch compared to this year. Maybe we had Witkowski that season and the fights were making up for the bad games.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

My primary purpose of following this team at this point of the season is checking here daily for news that Lalonde has been fired.

Even that one season where we were dead last, I didn't feel like the games were just a slog to watch compared to this year. Maybe we had Witkowski that season and the fights were making up for the bad games.

And as bad as they were, they tried.

Bertuzzi skated hard. Larkin skated hard. Bowey, as bad as he was, hustled. The bottom of the lineup guys like Helm and Glendening never gave up.

This 2024 team is a bunch of quitters.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

Yzerman should FedEx a package to his house with the note "you're fired" in it on some Grinch ish.

 

[heyfolks]

For Whom the Bell Tolls by John Donne​ Next​

No man is an island, Entire of itself. Each is a piece of the continent, A part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less. As well as if a promontory were. As well as if a manor of thine own Or of thine friend's were. Each man's death diminishes me, For I am involved in mankind. Therefore, send not to know For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee.

 

[Big Poppa Puck]

The only reason he still has a job right now is because it's the holidays. Has to be.

There's no way he's still the coach on January 2nd, right?

If they lose on Friday, he's gotta be gone Saturday.

 

[JediOrderPizza]

The only reason he still has a job right now is because it's the holidays. Has to be.

There's no way he's still the coach on January 2nd, right?

If they lose on Friday, he's gotta be gone Saturday.

We are totally beating the Leafs friday.

 

[newfy]

And as bad as they were, they tried.

Bertuzzi skated hard. Larkin skated hard. Bowey, as bad as he was, hustled. The bottom of the lineup guys like Helm and Glendening never gave up.

This 2024 team is a bunch of quitters.

I feel the exact same way. The team is underperforming their talent level, and likely part of that is on coaching. How much? Hard to say.

But it really irks me watching these guys float around out there like they don't, give a shit as they underperform. If anything you gotta fire the coach just to get rid of that behaviour.

And honestly, if a team like the Panthers was performing this way... you would see Tkachuk out there actually digging at a goalie, doing anything to get the team fired up. How the hell do guys like Veleno, Rasmussen, Compher, Copp etc etc feel like they can get away with looking like they don't give a shit while the team is playing this bad. Its pathetic

 

[saska sault]

I feel the exact same way. The team is underperforming their talent level, and likely part of that is on coaching. How much? Hard to say.

But it really irks me watching these guys float around out there like they don't, give a shit as they underperform. If anything you gotta fire the coach just to get rid of that behaviour.

And honestly, if a team like the Panthers was performing this way... you would see Tkachuk out there actually digging at a goalie, doing anything to get the team fired up. How the hell do guys like Veleno, Rasmussen, Compher, Copp etc etc feel like they can get away with looking like they don't give a shit while the team is playing this bad. Its pathetic

The lack of intensity, grit, frustration, has been there since game 1 this season. Very rarely do you see anyone mix it up, get under someone's skin, go for a momentum shifting hit or fight. Team is coached to play low event hockey, can't score, thinks they are skilled enough to only have 20 shot attempts per game and is stuck in a identity crisis with a lack of skill to overcome it. Or even pure hatred of losing to make it look like they want a different result.

 

[Winger98]

We are totally beating the Leafs friday.

This would be hilarious.

If he's being fired, I would think he already knows, we already have his replacement in place, and it'll be announced Thursday morning. That, or we have trades lined up to be announced when the rosters unfreeze Saturday and Lalonde will be given a reprieve to see if that changes anything.

 

[newfy]

The lack of intensity, grit, frustration, has been there since game 1 this season. Very rarely do you see anyone mix it up, get under someone's skin, go for a momentum shifting hit or fight. Team is coached to play low event hockey, can't score, thinks they are skilled enough to only have 20 shot attempts per game and is stuck in a identity crisis with a lack of skill to overcome it. Or even pure hatred of losing to make it look like they want a different result.

Yep, my beer league team has more scrums when we're losing honestly lol.

And I don't think that the hitting or fighting would necessarily change anything. cBut f*** me, something is worth a try to fire this team up. Constantly outshot and look like they're just along for the ride all season.

Send a message by benching someone and give Watson some games. He might be worse at hockey than every single guy on this team, but maybe he fires up some of the guys better than him and gets them playing better. I think you can scratch Veleno for a couple games and see if that helps at all

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

Yep, my beer league team has more scrums when we're losing honestly lol.

And I don't think that the hitting or fighting would necessarily change anything. cBut f*** me, something is worth a try to fire this team up. Constantly outshot and look like they're just along for the ride all season.

Send a message by benching someone and give Watson some games. He might be worse at hockey than every single guy on this team, but maybe he fires up some of the guys better than him and gets them playing better. I think you can scratch Veleno for a couple games and see if that helps at all

Watson may be worse at hockey but I think he is better at a specific role then all of our current role players..

 

[Voodoo Glow Skulls]

I'm done with this crap performance.

Fire Lalonde.

If that doesn't spur the team, sell off what you can.

 

[Oddbob]

Watson may be worse at hockey but I think he is better at a specific role then all of our current role players..

Watson played 2 games, and he didn't look particularly energetic at all to me.

 

[FMichael]

The only reason he still has a job right now is because it's the holidays. Has to be.

There's no way he's still the coach on January 2nd, right?

If they lose on Friday, he's gotta be gone Saturday.

Lalonde isn’t going anywhere until the end of the season…If Yzerman wanted to ‘do something’ he would have replaced him this past summer.

Embrace the tank, let more GR kids have a shot, and hope the lottery favors Detroit this spring.

 

[Gniwder]

Bowey, as bad as he was, hustled.

Bowey had no clue where he was going but got there fast, lol.

 

[FMichael]

I'm done with this crap performance.

Fire Lalonde.

If that doesn't spur the team, sell off what you can.

Having ESPN+ allows me to check out other games throughout the night…Amazing what you can watch when Detroit is taking a dump…Now I understand how fans of rival teams felt back in the 90s and early 00s when we were good.

 

[Gniwder]

Watson played 2 games, and he didn't look particularly energetic at all to me.

Subpar skating will do that, remember Giovani? He tried hard but always behind the play.

The major problem is that half the players on the team are slow. Tank isn't much of an upgrade over Perron, Gus is slower than Ghost, Burger is about the same as Sprong, and the only skating upgrade is Kasper over Fabbri but all 4 provide less offense. Stevie needed to improve team speed and he didn't.

 

[MabusIncarnate]

Subpar skating will do that, remember Giovani? He tried hard but always behind the play.

The major problem is that half the players on the team are slow. Tank isn't much of an upgrade over Perron, Gus is slower than Ghost, Burger is about the same as Sprong, and the only skating upgrade is Kasper over Fabbri but all 4 provide less offense. Stevie needed to improve team speed and he didn't.

I'd take Perron back over Tarasenko at this point, and would obviously would have rather kept Ghost over bringing in Gus. I think Kasper will wind up being the one that pans out and has a permanent roster spot, I haven't been, and still am not sold on Berggren, I can see him being 4th line bound and moved for a pick in the next couple years after a few 30 point seasons, and can be replaced with another prospect or a FA add.

 

[HoweFan]

I think Steve may be being held back from making moves like coaching changes. I’m with him I not doing it around Christmas but hopefully early after New Years

 

[SoupNazi]

I think Steve may be being held back from making moves like coaching changes. I’m with him I not doing it around Christmas but hopefully early after New Years

He should have made the change before Thanksgiving but I agree that now if he’s planning it, it likely isn’t until after the first of the year.

 

[nhlisawesome]

This is so f***ed. 31 other NHL organizations would have fired this guy already in varying timelines from those 2 sinks last year that cost us the playoff's and between this season. It's actually unf***ingbelievable. Fire Lalonde. It's the one god damn thing you can do to restore a tick of good faith back to this loyal fanbase.