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On July 8, Eric Engels broke the news on X that the Canadiens had hired Derek Lalonde as an assistant coach. Engels reported that evening that Lalonde would be replacing Trevor Letowski behind the bench.
Officially, Engels said that Letowski—whose contract had expired on June 30—had decided to spend more time with his family.
The Montreal Canadiens are hiring Derek Lalonde to join their coaching staff as an assistant. He will be replacing Trevor Letowski, who has decided to step down from the bench to spend more time with his family. The Canadiens hope to keep Letowski within the organization.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) July 8, 2026
According to Engels, the Canadiens intended to offer Letowski another “less demanding” role.
The next day, I reported right here what Lalonde's role with the Habs would be.
On July 20, the Habs officially announced Lalonde's hiring. Lalonde won't just be an assistant coach; he'll be an associate coach. In short, he'll be the first assistant and the one to fill in for Martin St-Louis if he's ever absent. A bit like Letowski, but Lalonde has a slightly higher title on paper.
Except here we are on July 24, and Trevor Letowski's name still appears on the Canadiens' official website.
What does that mean?
Logically, we can assume that the information reported by Eric Engels two weeks ago is true: Trevor Letowski will no longer be behind the team's bench in September.
However, has Kent Hughes convinced Letowski to stay on in a role more akin to that of a consultant, like Roger Grillo? We appreciate Letowski, and he no longer wants to be behind the bench full-time. That would make sense, wouldn't it?
Alternatively, could it be that they've simply kept Letowski's profile in the database while waiting to transfer him to scouting (professional or amateur) or player development (Rob Ramage has retired)? That's also a possibility.
Unless, in the middle of the summer season, they simply didn't take the time to remove Letowski's name from the official website. Except that if they took the time to create a profile for Lalonde, removing Letowski's would have literally taken four and a quarter seconds.
Personally, I think there's a real chance Letowski will stay with the team. Let's see what happens.
Reminder: There's no limit on the number of employees or their salaries in the NHL collective bargaining agreement. If everyone can find a way to make it work, why not continue the adventure… in a different kind of relationship?
