The article discusses the coaching changes in the Toronto Maple Leafs, specifically the hiring of Lalonde as an assistant coach following Lambert's previous tenure. Lalonde's focus is expected to be on penalty killing, an area he excelled in while with the Tampa Bay Lightning, leading to notable team success. The article also contextualizes his coaching history, highlighting his time with the Red Wings, which was less successful than his tenure in Tampa. The hiring reflects the Leafs' strategy to improve their performance in specialized team aspects.
In terms of overall team results, the Lightning won the President's Trophy with a record-setting campaign in Lalonde's first season and won back-to-back Cups in his final two years before he was hired away by the Red Wings.
To me, it's still being aggressive and hitting the pressure points. The last two series, we were up against it with two of the best power plays in the league.
All the numbers, analytics - our (goalie coach Frantz Jean) preaches to me, just eliminate the east-west. That's been our biggest thing.
It's likely that Lalonde will focus on a particular unit, although all Leafs coaches likely provide input across various files in general.
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