Andrew Gross: Pete DeBoer hire officially starts the clock on Mathieu Darche's tenure
Newsday • • sports
Key Points:
- Patrick Roy was fired and Pete DeBoer was hired as the New York Islanders' coach with four games left in the regular season, a move reminiscent of former Devils GM Lou Lamoriello's willingness to change coaches late in a season.
- The decision to fire Roy, who was originally hired by Lamoriello, was made by first-year Islanders GM Mathieu Darche, signaling Darche's belief that the team is still a playoff contender despite recent losses.
- Darche's proactive approach included acquiring key players midseason and quickly hiring DeBoer, a coach with extensive playoff experience, to get ahead in the offseason coaching market.
- DeBoer's hiring indicates Darche values coaching experience and aims to advance the Islanders further in the postseason than Roy might have, while also marking the end of Darche's initial grace period as GM.
- The Islanders' future looks promising due to young talent like Matthew Schaefer and goaltender Ilya Sorokin, making the coaching role attractive despite the current transitional phase.
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