Lalonde's coaching career began as a
graduate assistant at
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts from 1995 to 1997. In 1998, Lalonde began a 2-year stint as an assistant coach at
Lebanon Valley College, followed by two seasons as an assistant at
Hamilton College. He then served as the head coach of the
Toledo Walleye of the
ECHL from 2014 to 2016. He led the Walleye to a 97–35–7–5 record and two consecutive Brabham Cup titles as the ECHL's regular-season champion. In his first season in 2014, he led the Walleye to a 50–15–5–2 record and won the John Brophy Award as the ECHL's Coach of the Year. He then served as the head coach of the
Iowa Wild of the
American Hockey League (AHL) from 2016 to 2018, where he posted a 69–58–17–8 record. He served as an assistant coach for the
Tampa Bay Lightning of the
National Hockey League (NHL) from 2018 to 2022, helping lead the team to consecutive
Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021. On June 30, 2022, he was named the head coach of the
Detroit Red Wings of the NHL. On March 28, 2023, Lalonde was ejected for the first time in his NHL career in a win over the
Pittsburgh Penguins. This was the first NHL coach ejection since
San Jose Sharks coach
David Quinn's ejection on March 8, 2023, and the first Red Wings coach ejection since
Jeff Blashill's ejection on February 4, 2018. Following a 13–17–4 start to the
2024–25 season, Lalonde was fired by the Red Wings on December 26, 2024, and replaced by
Todd McLellan. On June 6, 2025, Lalonde was hired as an assistant coach by the
Toronto Maple Leafs. ==Head coaching record==