By now, you've caught onto the trend. There are plenty of rumors out there regarding the future of current Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde and his future with the organization. Plenty of fans feel the head coach is stunting the growth of Detroit's young players and overusing veteran players despite their proven ineffectiveness.
Take, for example, Lalonde continues to play Ben Chiarot nearly 21 minutes per night, but he ranks last in Relative Corsi For Percentage (-8.8) in even-strength situations and Expected Goals Against (xGA 20.8) among Red Wings defenders. He's also a team-worst -8.3 expected +/- from where the shots are taken for and against while on the ice at even strength. All that said, why is Albert Johansson being so sheltered? The kid isn't Simon Edvinsson or Moritz Seider, but he certainly deserves to play every day on the third pairing. Isn't that why Detroit traded veteran Olli Maatta earlier this season? Looking at the same categories, Johansson maintains a Relative Corsi For Percentage of 1.4 during even strength, an xGA of 5.1, and an expected +/- of 0.7. Again, I ask, what are Derek Lalonde and Bob Boughner doing?
I had so much fun talking about Ben Chiarot and Albert Johansson. Why don't we do it again, this time with J.T. Compher and Marco Kasper? Compher has been moved around in the Red Wings lineup this year but recently found himself slotted back in as Detroit's second center behind Dylan Larkin.
Compher currently ranks last among all Red Wings in Relative Corsi For Percentage at -8.9%, playing at even strength. His Corsi For Percentage is also a team-worst at 39.0. His expected goal differential is the worst among Red Wings forwards at -6.4. He's totaled three goals and nine points, playing well over 16 minutes per night.
So, in comparison, Kasper, who has seen some time as the second-line center but was relegated back to the third line of late, has totaled two goals and seven points playing less than 15 minutes per night. Kasper's Relative Corsi For Percentage sits at 1.2, while his Corsi For Percentage is 46.5, and his expected goal differential is third-best on the team at 1.7.
Another head coaching candidate has been tied to the Detroit Red Wings
Again, nobody can predict Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman. He holds his card close to the vest, and he leaks nothing. That said, it becomes hard to anticipate what he's thinking or planning to do. History has shown that he tends to be very patient with his head coaches, but one has to wonder if he feels Derek Lalonde is holding this club back. Lalonde is in the final year of his contract, and with the Red Wings underachieving, it begs the question, is an in-season change on the horizon?
One of the big-named head coaching candidates is Joel Quenneville. That move wouldn't come without some media and fan backlash for obvious reasons. If Yzerman doesn't care about the heat, bringing in Quenneville, a Windsor native, might be the recipe for immediate success. Quenneville is the second-most winningest head coach in NHL history (969) only to Scotty Bowman, plus he's a three-time Stanley Cup winner. Quenneville has also recently been linked to the New York Rangers, another team struggling of late and could be possibly angling to make a move. Ironically, if fired from New York, Peter Laviolette wouldn't be the worst choice for Yzerman and Detroit. Other names that continue to be linked to a hypothetical opening are the usuals: Gerard Gallant, Lane Lambert, David Carle, and maybe Dan Watson. Also, although it's more of a pipedream, in my opinion, among Red Wings fans is Sergei Fedorov or Igor Larionov.
The newest name added to the list of possible candidates if Detroit were to make a change is former Edmonton Oilers bench boss Jay Woodcroft, according to TheFourthPeriod. As I have recently discussed, the article mentions that Bob Boughner could be the interim if Lalonde is let go. Still, with how poorly Detroit's defense and penalty kill have performed, I wouldn't be surprised if Lalonde fires Boughner in a last-ditch effort to maintain his own job. The move would be warranted and not second-guessed. The Fourth Period also mentioned that it is difficult to grasp what Yzerman is thinking, but they've been informed by 'league sources' to expect Woodcroft to be in the conversation.
Woodcroft, 48, is a Toronto native and posted a 79-41-13 record in parts of three seasons with the Edmonton Oilers. Woodcroft was fired after 13 games last season, ironically by Ken Holland, after starting the year 3-9-1. As you know, the Oilers eventually found themselves in game seven of the Stanley Cup Final under the guidance of Kris Knoblauch.