Patrick Roy Stays at the Helm of the Islanders; Darche Takes the Reins
Head coach Patrick Roy will continue to lead the New York Islanders, according to an announcement by the new general manager and executive vice president, Mathieu Darche, during his inaugural press conference.
Roy, 59, has accumulated a record of 55-47-17 since taking over as coach on January 20, 2024, replacing Lane Lambert. In the current season, the Hall of Famer recorded a 35-35-12 record, but failed to lead the team to the playoffs. Darche also confirmed that assistant coaches John MacLean and Tommy Albelin will not be returning to the team.Someone would have to really surprise me for me to consider trading that pick.
Mathieu Darche
In addition, Darche addressed the possibility of negotiating the first overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft.
The Islanders obtained the first overall pick in the next draft earlier this month, despite having only a 3.5% chance of winning the lottery.
Darche, 48, joins the Islanders after serving as the director of hockey operations for the Tampa Bay Lightning for the past six seasons. During his time in Tampa Bay, the Lightning qualified for the playoffs every year, including winning back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021, and a final appearance in 2022. As general manager and executive vice president, Darche replaces Lou Lamoriello, who left the Islanders last month after seven seasons.
