Mathieu Darche didn’t waste any time with his first big decision as general manager of the Islanders: Patrick Roy will get another year as head coach.
“I think Patrick’s a winner,” Darche said at his introductory press conference Thursday. “He’s had success coaching. When he came here the first year, he did have success.
“I didn’t know Patrick. I know a lot of people in the hockey world, I’ve been on the phone a lot. I went to meet with him last weekend just to get to know him more, and I’m extremely comfortable and extremely excited to be working with him. I know he’s passionate. He works hard.”
It will be Roy’s second full season as coach of the Islanders after a disappointing 35-35-12 record in 2024-25 left the club out of the playoffs and prompted managerial changes, with Lou Lamoriello being let go and Darche installed as GM.
Roy replaced Lane Lambert midway through the 2023-24 season and rallied the Islanders to a playoff berth.
After Roy and Lamoriello clashed last year over playing style, with the former wanting more offense and the latter preferring a more conservative game plan, the principles Darche laid out Thursday — playing fast-paced hockey with good defense while avoiding being defensive in nature — sounded much more aligned with Roy.
“It’s great,” captain Anders Lee said. “For [Darche] to get together with Patrick and those guys, hash it out and get to know one another, I think it’s great he was able to make a decision on that. Move forward on that and Patty’s got a good relationship with us. Our ability to understand what he wants from us, how he wants us to play, I guess is one more decision that’s been made to help us continue moving in the right direction.”
The rest of the coaching staff will have a different look, as John MacLean and Tommy Albelin — both of whom were Lamoriello acolytes — were let go.
So was AHL coach Rick Kowalsky, along with the rest of Bridgeport’s coaching staff.
Benoit Desrosiers, who worked with Roy at the junior level, is being retained as an assistant coach.
Darche is in the process of evaluating front office staff as well, including assistant general managers Steve Pellegrini and Chris Lamoriello.
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As for Lou Lamoriello himself, a decision has yet to be made on whether he’ll stick around in an advisory capacity.
He and Darche have met for a handover of information, and it is on the new GM to decide whether the old one will stay on as a consultant.