Derek Lalonde’s Impact on Other Coaches’ Contracts

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Derek Lalonde’s Impact on Other Coaches’ Contracts

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated Jul 9, 2026 11:23 AM ET

Last night, Eric Engels announced that Derek Lalonde had been hired as Martin St-Louis's assistant.

This wasn't news we were expecting, given that we didn't really know Trevor Letowski was going to step down from his position to spend more time with his family.

It surprised a lot of people, of course. But the addition of an experienced coach is not to be underestimated with the Habs.

The question is, what does this mean for the rest of the Canadiens' coaching staff in terms of their contracts moving forward?

Why? Because, as Eric Engels (Sportsnet) pointed out, Martin St. Louis, Stéphane Robidas, and even Alex Burrows (who has done what Letowski did in the past—stepping down from his role behind the bench) are all in the final year of their contracts.

“Newsy” Lalonde with the Canadiens just sounds right. But this isn't about the nickname originally given to Edward Lalonde. It's about Derek “Newsy” Lalonde bringing a wealth of experience to Martin St. Louis' bench. (@EricEngels
)

https://t.co/PmwnGk1qTi

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 9, 2026

Logically, Lalonde has either signed a one-year contract or a contract lasting more than one year. Those are the only two possibilities on the table right now.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but let's just say I'd be surprised to see a veteran like him sign for just one year. Plus, it would send a strange message, given the contract situations of the other assistants.

If Lalonde signed for more than one year, we have to assume that Martin St-Louis will be rewarded as well. After all, it would be quite something to see the assistant coach get a longer contract than the head coach.

For a while now, there's been talk that we should expect Martin St-Louis to sign a contract extension. I don't know why it hasn't happened yet, but we have to assume it's coming.

Will Stéphane Robidas also get a new deal soon? Will Marco Marciano get a contract to stay on full-time? When will the Rocket get a head coach? These are also questions that need to be asked.

After all, the Habs also need to take care of the people they already have on staff. Not just the ones coming in from outside…

In a nutshell

– Interesting.

When I drifted off to sleep, the #CFMTL was trailing 1–0 in Vancouver.

But Vancouver scored an own goal, and Prince converted a penalty shot that Owen Graham-Roache went out to stop.

Result: a 2–1 victory in a game narrowly dominated by… pic.twitter.com/C7Mx0VZIh6

— Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) July 9, 2026