New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy will continue at the helm, with new general manager Mathieu Darche announcing his intention to keep the Hall of Famer behind the bench. The 59-year-old has a record of 55-47-17 since taking over in January 2024, but fell short of making the playoffs this season.
In addition to Roy’s return, Darche also revealed that assistant coaches John MacLean and Tommy Albelin will not be returning next season. The news comes as Darche takes over from Lou Lamoriello, who departed after seven seasons in January.
Darche, 48, has experience leading successful teams as the director of hockey operations for the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he helped the team qualify for the playoffs each year during his six-season tenure. However, Darche is open to trading away the top overall pick of the 2025 NHL draft, saying that “someone would have to really knock my socks off” to make such a move. The Islanders secured the top overall pick earlier this month despite having a relatively low chance of winning the lottery at 3.5%.
Source: https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/45376307/patrick-roy-remain-head-coach-islanders-new-gm-says