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Time of India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Mathieu Darche becomes Islanders GM with top NHL Draft pick in hand
Mathieu Darche becomes Islanders GM with top NHL Draft pick in hand (Image Source: Getty Images) The New York Islanders now have a new general manager at the helm in time for the big decision. ESPN's Emily Kaplan reports the team is bringing in Tampa Bay Lightning assistant GM Mathieu Darche as the Islanders' newest general manager. The hiring comes on the heels of the Islanders getting their first choice in the NHL Draft, an opportunity they fell into after trading up from the 10th spot. With Mathieu Darche at the controls, the team wishes to start anew and reverse its fortunes. Mathieu Darche brings championship experience from Tampa Bay Mathieu Darche is not new to success. Following appearances in portions of nine NHL seasons, Mathieu Darche entered the Tampa Bay Lightning's front office in 2019. He has since been an integral member of the team's hockey operations, assisting them in capturing consecutive Stanley Cups. His background in constructing a championship-contending roster made him an ideal fit for the Islanders, who need a clean slate. It is his first General Manager's job, and it arrives at an important time for the team. Mathieu Darche inherits from veteran GM Lou Lamoriello, who served for seven seasons. Lamoriello was not retained after another disappointing season. The Islanders did not make the playoffs and have not advanced past the second round since 2021 when they were swept by Mathieu Darche's old team, the Lightning. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 나이들어 시력이 안좋거나 흐릿흐릿! 노안교정 선택아닌 필수입니다! 부산백내장노안 전문안과 더 알아보기 Undo Now, Mathieu Darche must assemble a moribund roster, beginning with the No. 1 pick. Also Read: New York Islanders Limit GM Search To Marc Bergevin, Mathieu Darche Amid Brendan Shanahan Negotiations Islanders have first pick for first time since 2009 The Islanders find themselves in an unusual and dominant situation. Due to an unexpected boost in the NHL Draft Lottery, they now possess the first overall draft pick. They last had the top choice in 2009, when they took John Tavares. It was that selection that set the team up for the future then, and now Mathieu Darche is presented with the same chance of acquiring a game-altering player. With the draft looming and a new GM at the helm, the Islanders are moving into a new chapter. The fans are optimistic Mathieu Darche can utilize his championship background to construct a winner on Long Island. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
If The NHL Expands, So Should The Playoffs – Here's How
More NHL expansion could be on the way. If it happens, the playoffs should expand as well. American billionaire Dan Friedkin of The Friedkin Group, which owns soccer clubs AS Roma and a majority share of Everton, reportedly met with the NHL multiple times about a potential Houston franchise, according to ESPN's Emily Kaplan. This comes after past news about the interest in bringing a team back to the Atlanta area as well. That could bring the NHL up to 34 teams, with 17 in each conference, if interested owners in each city get their wish. An offshoot of potential NHL expansion should be the Stanley Cup playoff format. As it stands, half the NHL's 32 teams make the playoffs. But if the NHL kept its 16-team structure after bringing on another expansion squad or two, that number would drop below the 50-percent mark. So, how could the league address its post-season in a 34-team setup? From our perspective, there are a couple of options. The first would be along the lines of what the NBA does, which is assuring the top six teams in each conference of a playoff spot, with the top four teams in the wild-card race squaring off in a play-in tournament to decide the final two spots in the Eastern and Western Conferences. Another option could be a best-of-three series between the second- and third-place teams in the wild-card race for the second wild-card berth. With the best-of-three-series option, 18 teams advance to the post-season – just over half – but only two teams in the East and West battle for the final spot in each conference's quarterfinals. You'd have four teams fighting for two playoff spots in each conference with the NBA system. From this writer's preference, an expanded NHL playoffs using the NBA format would be the right way to go, as there's the potential for more upsets while keeping a thrilling end to the regular season. The first and second teams in the wild-card race get two chances to advance anyway. They would face off, with the winner clinching the first wild-card spot. The loser takes on whoever wins in the No. 3 vs. No. 4 game for the second wild-card place. If this wild-card play-in format happened this season, the potential matchups could have been full of drama. Ahead of Monday night's games, the standings would have had the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens facing off in the East's No. 1 vs. No. 2 game and the New York Rangers taking on the New York Islanders in the No. 3 vs. No. 4 match. In the West, the Minnesota Wild would battle the St. Louis Blues for the first wild-card spot, while the loser would take on the winner of a Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks contest for the second wild-card spot. The NHL only introduced wild-card berths in 2013-14 as the league continued to evolve. If the league grows, it makes sense to continue to grow the playoff pool like what happened 45 years ago. The NHL expanded to a 16-team playoff format in the 1979-80 season, when there were only 21 teams in the league. So this notion that there can't be a majority of the league's teams involved in the post-season flies in the face of the NHL's history. It's Clear NHL Expansion Isn't Ending Anytime Soon: 'I Don't Think We're Necessarily At That Ceiling' Unexplored markets — not a return to Canada — remain a focus when considering NHL expansion after Vegas and Seattle's successes spurred interest in other cities. Ultimately, an expanded NHL playoffs is all about increasing the value of regular-season games, which would be true if the NHL adopted an NBA-style play-in system. In fact, all the teams that were in the wild-card race for most of the season but are running out of time would still have everything to fight for. As of March 24, four teams trail the 10th-place Islanders by fewer than five points. In the West, the Utah Hockey Club is only one point behind the 10th-place Canucks, and the Minnesota Wild are only four points behind the Colorado Avalanche for the third spot in the Central Division – which would hypothetically make them safe from a play-in round. That means more teams are playing important games deeper into the regular season, and that's what it's all about. If more NHL expansion ever happens, which would come with sky-high expansion fees, a revamped playoff system should come with it. Teams with the most regular-season success wouldn't be affected by an increased playoff field, but games would matter more for more teams, and any way you look at it, that would be a success. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on
