Red Wings have fired head coach Derek Lalonde and assistant Bob Boughner

There's been a massive change in leadership for the Detroit Red Wings.

Minutes ago, it was confirmed by the official social media account of the Red Wings that general manager Steve Yzerman has dismissed head coach Derek Lalonde and assistant Bob Boughner.

In Lalonde's place, former Red Wings assistant Stanley Cup-winning coach Todd McLellan is on his way back to Hockeytown; he becomes the 29th head coach in team history.

Before his arrival in Detroit, Derek Lalonde had previously served as an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning, helping them win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.

The Red Wings hired him to be their head coach in 2022 after former coach Jeff Blashill wasn't retained; he was signed to a 3-year deal.

Detroit missed the postseason under Lalonde in his first year on the job with a record of 35-37-10 (80 points), finishing 7th overall in the Atlantic Division.

Lalonde's 2nd and final full year with the Red Wings saw improvement, as the team came within one point of qualifying for the postseason, losing on the final day of the season thanks to a tiebreaker with the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals.

However, there was far too much inconsistency in their performance, especially down the stretch in March with seven consecutive losses that all but destroyed their chances at breaking the postseason drought.

This year, the Red Wings were off to a disastrous start. They're currently 13-17-4 and just outside of last place in both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference.