Latest news with #LouLamoriello
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
Hiring Of Mathieu Darche Represents A New Era For The New York Islanders
ELMONT, NEW YORK - MAY 29: Mathieu Darche poses for a photo with Islanders owners John Collins, Jon ... More Ledecky and Oliver Haarmann after being named the 7th General Manager in New York Islanders history at UBS Arena, on May 29, 2025 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Dennis DaSilva/NHLI via Getty Images) The first sign the Islanders were ushering in a new era during a press conference introducing Mathieu Darche as their new general manager and executive vice president Thursday morning is the fact they held a press conference introducing Mathieu Darche as their new general manager and executive vice president Thursday morning. Technically, the Islanders publicly welcomed Lou Lamoriello as their president of hockey operations seven years ago last week, But that was via conference call (this was two years before we all had to learn how to Zoom) and everyone in sports knows who Lamoriello is — and that his no-frills introduction would set the tone for his entire tenure, one in which he was the lone and rarely revealing voice of authority on all Islanders matters. So Darche, a first-time general manager who won two Cups as a member of the Lightning's front office, stepping to the podium with co-owner John Collins — the type of senior level executive rarely pictured alongside Lamoriello — moments after Free's 'All Right Now' blasted out of the loudspeakers within the suite level at UBS Arena signaled a fresh start for the organization. And then Darche spent the first 11 words of his answer to the first question he fielded making the most declarative statement of all about the Islanders' new era. 'Well, first of all, Patrick will be our coach next season,' Darche said, referring to Patrick Roy, whom Lamoriello hired in January 2024. Darche also announced the fates of assistants Benoit Derosiers, who will remain on staff, and John MacLean and Tommy Albelin, each of whom were dismissed. Later, he said center Bo Horvat should be recovered from the ankle injury he suffered at the IIHF World Championship after four to six weeks and that '…someone would have to really knock my socks off' for him to trade the no. 1 pick in next month's NHL Draft. That's four bits of information Lamoriello wouldn't have released if Jack Bauer was the one doing the interrogating. This is not meant to denigrate or mock Lamoriello, whose ways worked extraordinarily well for a longer period of time than just about any executive in sports history. He arrived at a critical juncture for the Islanders, who didn't have an arena and were about to lose John Tavares to free agency, and helped steer the club to UBS Arena while overseeing consecutive runs to the NHL semifinals in 2020-21. Lamoriello's insistence on not rebuilding and instead trying to squeeze as much as he could out of the Islanders' core was admirable in an era in which tanking is encouraged. But the Islanders, at another unique if less delicate intersection in franchise history, needed a fresh and collaborative perspective — especially after spending the first quarter of this century as the most insular team in the league. Mike Milbury's chaos gave way, ever so briefly, to Charles Wang's committee approach in 2006. Neil Smith, the nominal general manager, was fired after a mere 41 days and replaced by backup goalie Garth Snow, who remained in place for 12 seasons and one postseason series victory. Snow and Lamoriello both stayed unusually loyal to the Islanders' core — as prospects under Snow, who was reluctant to add to the mix, and as increasingly wizened veterans under Lamoriello. Eleven members of this season's team were with the Islanders since at least the 2019-20 season. In addition, Matt Martin (2009-10), Casey Cizikas (2011-12), Anders Lee (2012-13), Scott Mayfield (2013-14) and Brock Nelson (2013-14) all debuted with the team more than a decade ago. The Islanders' farm system dried up in infamous fashion this season, when Bridgeport won just 15 games — including an AHL record-low four at home — while Lamoriello had to pluck Tony D'Angelo from exile in order to shore up a depleted blue line. (And again, to be fair, D'Angelo immediately became the Islanders' most durable defenseman) 'I believe in developing in the winning environment,' Darche said. 'The AHL will definitely be a focus for me, because your players have to be ready. Because, let's face it, every team needs players called up during the year.' Pivoting to a general manager enthusiastic about player development is doubly important thanks to two bits of good fortune that unexpectedly landed in the Islanders' laps. Lamoriello acquired promising center Calum Ritchie from the Avalanche in exchange for Nelson on Mar. 6, albeit only after he couldn't sign the impending free agent to an extension. A little under two months later, the Islanders won the NHL Draft lottery despite entering the proceedings with a 3.5 percent chance at landing the top pick. The lottery win, in particular, was a reminder any success the Islanders have enjoyed since the dynasty years has been of the serendipitous variety. The 1993 team made an unsustainable Cinderella run to the then-Wales Conference finals. In 2018, Lamoriello hired Barry Trotz a little more tan weeks after he won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals, who refused to sign him to a long-term extension. The Islanders were on the verge of falling out of the Eastern Conference playoff race when the pandemic hit in 2020, but the four-month pause allowed players to get healthy and for Trotz to rework their defensive system for a semifinal run. The 2021 trip to the final four came following a 56-game regular season in which the Islanders had the 12th-most points in the NHL. Hoping for everything to go right once in a while underneath an all-powerful general manager is not a recipe for long-term success. Of the 21 teams in the NHL in 1984, only the Islanders, Winnipeg/Arizona/Phoenix/Utah and the Maple Leafs (LOL) have failed to make the Stanley Cup Final since 1984, when the Oilers ended the drive for five. 'There is a championship legacy here that needs to move forward,' Collins said on the day in which there was no way of knowing how Darche and a collaborative effort would fare, only that it was time to begin finding out.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
What we learned from Islanders GM Mathieu Darche's first news conference
ELMONT, N.Y. — The New York Islanders pulled out all the stops — and just about every team employee — to welcome new general manager Mathieu Darche to the fold. Whereas Lou Lamoriello came on board in summer 2018 to very little fanfare, the way Lamoriello likes to operate, Islanders ownership put Darche's name on the UBS Arena marquee Thursday and packed a common area at suite level with team employees, media and some season-ticket holders. Advertisement As operating partner John Collins said while sitting next to Darche on a stage, this is a big deal. The Islanders' month-long search to replace Lamoriello at the head of hockey operations took some twists and turns but landed on Darche, the first-time GM whose resume feels like that of a more seasoned exec: six years in the business world with international logistics company Delmar (coincidentally a business partner of the Islanders), hockey commentator with RDS in Quebec, and then six years in the Lightning front office with his hand in all areas of Tampa's operation under GM Julien BriseBois. Any of the handful of candidates Collins and principal owner Scott Malkin spoke to this past month would have represented a monumental change for an organization whose last two GMs were hired after one-person searches. Darche represents an even bigger change than if a former GM like Marc Bergevin or Ken Holland had taken the gig, given that he's a blank slate as a manager. Here's what we learned from a fairly news-filled press conference: Darche announced rather promptly that Patrick Roy will return as head coach for the 2025-26 season. Though they are both Montreal natives and played for the Canadiens, Darche said his first time contacting Roy was over the weekend. But clearly the new GM made the decision on Roy his No. 1 priority and ultimately stuck with Roy, who has three years remaining on his contract. 'Patrick's a winner,' Darche said. 'He's had success coaching. When he came here the first year, he did have success. I know a lot of people in the hockey world and I've been on the phone a lot. I met with Patrick last weekend just to get to know him more. I'm extremely comfortable and excited to be working with him.' Roy's strong personality was relatively tamed during his 121 games coaching under Lamoriello, some of which surely had to do with showing respect to the 82-year-old former Isles GM, the first person in the NHL to offer Roy a shot at returning to the league since he left the Avalanche in 2016. Behind the scenes though, according to a team source, Roy and Lamoriello stopped seeing eye to eye last season with injuries piling up and few replacements coming to meet the moment. Advertisement Roy wants the Islanders to be a faster-paced team than the roster allowed last year — and, for that matter, the two prior seasons, too. Lamoriello's goal was to build a team that, foremost, defended well. Darche sounded a lot like Roy on Thursday, saying his goal as GM is to make the Islanders a fast team, one that still defends but plays with pace. So if the coach and GM are aligned, this relationship could work. Then again, the same team source said Roy had conversations with ownership during the GM search. If Roy feels emboldened to go over the head of a first-time GM and speak to ownership if there's conflict between him and Darche, then it could be problematic going forward. In keeping Roy, Darche simultaneously sealed the fate of John MacLean and Tommy Albelin, who, sure enough, were let go as assistant coaches. MacLean joined the staff under Lane Lambert in 2022 and Albelin just last season, but they are both longtime Lamoriello employees dating back to the Devils' glory days. MacLean's contract was set to expire on June 30, while Albelin had two more years left on his deal. Darche said he and Roy will work together to find two new assistants to go with Benoit Desrosiers, the only assistant coach that Roy hired. So Roy will have a say in everyone who's on his bench this season. That's a positive. Darche also announced that the much-needed overhaul of the AHL operation in Bridgeport has begun, with Rick Kowalsky let go as head coach before his contract expired at the end of June. Before Lamoriello was dismissed on April 22, the former GM had also fired assistant coaches Pascal Rheaume and Matt MacDonald, so Darche will fill out an entirely new AHL coaching staff this offseason. Development is a key part of Darche's vision and you don't have to work in hockey to know that development has stalled out for the Islanders organization. Simon Holmstrom is the only homegrown drafted player in Lamoriello's tenure to graduate up to the big club from Bridgeport; Kyle MacLean and Marc Gatcomb were undrafted, while Isaiah George showed promise this season but still played half the year in the AHL. Advertisement Some of the developmental struggles have come from trading away high picks and prospects to re-stock the NHL roster year after year, but Bridgeport under assistant GM Chris Lamoriello has struggled, even though their rosters have been dotted with veteran AHLers who should be able to produce and win at that level. The 2024-25 Baby Islanders set an AHL record with just four home wins. Darche had no announcements on front-office changes, with his focus turning to amateur draft meetings, next week's NHL scouting combine in Buffalo, and the June 27-28 draft, where the Islanders have the No. 1 overall pick. 'There's a lot of strong people in the organization,' Darche said. 'I'm evaluating as we go.' If you're going by who from hockey operations was on hand Thursday: Assistant GM Steve Pellegrini, Lamoriello's cap expert, was there. Assistant GM Chris Lamoriello, Lou's son and Bridgeport's GM, was not. It may not mean anything, but if Darche is set on building up the AHL operation the way Syracuse has served as a consistent talent pipeline for the Lightning, a change at the top there would not surprise me whatsoever. Bo Horvat was injured playing for Canada at the World Championships two weeks ago, but Darche said it was an ankle injury with a four-to-six-week timeline, so there is no concern at all about Horvat being ready for training camp. Darche said he's talked with almost every Islanders player since he was hired last week, and that communication is important for him. 'I told every player, 'Listen, I'm always going to be honest with you, whether it's a hard conversation or not,'' he said. 'That's my way of being with people.' In addition to talking to his players, Darche has started conversations with the agents for several unrestricted and restricted free agents, notably Kyle Palmieri, Noah Dobson, Alex Romanov and Simon Holmstrom. Only Palmieri is a UFA, so his negotiation window extends to July 1, while the other three can go beyond there. Advertisement Considering Darche signed his contract last Friday, he's packed a lot in already. That's an excellent sign — this was never a job to ease into and now, with ownership having spent a month to complete its search, there's even less time to waste. Darche clearly recognizes that.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Mathieu Darche introduced as Islanders' head of hockey operations
NEW YORK (AP) — Mathieu Darche was all smiles Thursday as he was formally introduced as the New York Islanders' executive vice president and general manager. The 48-year-old former NHL forward, who spent the previous six seasons — including two Stanley Cups — with the Tampa Bay Lightning, takes control of the team's hockey operations department from Lou Lamoriello. Darche officially announced that Patrick Roy would return as coach next season and be able to hire his own assistants with John MacLean and Tommy Albelin not returning. Darche also said there would be a new coaching staff in Bridgeport, the team's AHL affiliate. The Islanders missed the playoffs this season after bowing out to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round the previous two springs. Darche, who played 268 NHL games from 2001-12 for five teams, is ready to get started. 'We want to create our own success going forward, build our own legacy,' said Darche, a Montreal native who mentioned watching the Islanders and his idol Mike Bossy win four straight Stanley Cups from 1980-83. 'I believe in best practices and seeing what I can bring.' Roy, a Hall of Fame goaltender, became coach of the Islanders in January 2024. He guided the Islanders into the postseason with a late surge in 2024 but the team fell short this time, missing the playoffs for the second time in four seasons since starting play at UBS Arena. Both Darche and Roy were born in the province of Quebec. 'Patrick is a winner,'' said Darche, who met the 59-year-old Roy for the first time in recent days. 'I am extremely comfortable and excited to be working with him. I know he's passionate and he works hard.' Islanders co-owner John Collins echoed the sentiments of his incoming head of hockey operations, who also has a business background away from hockey and a degree from McGill University in Montreal. 'There's a championship legacy here that needs to move forward. We believe strongly that Mathieu Darche understands how to make that happen,'' Collins said. 'He has been an important part of Stanley Cup success in Tampa Bay and we see him as a team builder with a bright future for us.' Darche does have plenty of work to do. He said he's spoken to just about every player on the Islanders roster and will be focused on the upcoming draft — in which the Islanders have the No. 1 pick — plus pending free agents in the weeks ahead. 'You've entrusted me with hockey operations of this franchise and it's not something I take lightly,'' Darche said. 'I want this team to be a perennial playoff team … It's not always a straight line but every single day every decision I make will be not for Mathieu Darche — not for anybody else — but the best thing for the New York Islanders.' Islanders captain Anders Lee, who turns 35 in July and will be starting his 14th season with the Islanders, said his early impressions of the new boss have been all positive. 'Mathieu will come in with a lot of ideas. He's seen how things have worked in Tampa. He has a vision for this group and this organization,'' said Lee, with a backdrop of the arena's ice-free surface. 'We all have the same goal here. We want to be playing games in May, knocking on the door of the Stanley Cup.' Lee also credited the 82-year-old Lamoriello with having a key impact during his seven years at the Islanders helm. 'Lou meant a lot. He was a mentor and someone you could lean on, someone you could go to for things outside of hockey,'' Lee said. 'Lou has seen it all and he's done it with high character and great values. He's a man of his word. He made a lot of guys in that room not just better hockey players, but better men.' ___ AP NHL:
Reuters
4 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Islanders new GM: Patrick Roy to remain head coach
May 29 - Patrick Roy will remain as the head coach of the New York Islanders, new general manager and executive vice president Mathieu Darche said at his introductory press conference on Thursday. Roy, 59, owns a 55-47-17 record since replacing Lane Lambert as the Islanders' coach on Jan. 20, 2024. The Hall of Famer posted a 35-35-12 mark this past season but failed to guide the club to the playoffs. Assistant coaches John MacLean and Tommy Albelin will not return to the bench, Darche said. Darche wasn't done there, however. When asked about whether he was interested in entertaining offers for the top overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft, Darche was quick with a response. "Someone would have to really knock my socks off to trade that pick," he said. New York landed the top overall pick of the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft earlier this month, despite having the 10th-best chance of winning the lottery at 3.5 percent. Darche, 48, has served as the director of hockey operations for the Tampa Bay Lightning over the past six seasons. The Lightning qualified for the playoffs in each year of that stretch, including capturing consecutive Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021 and appearing in the Finals in 2022. Tabbed general manager and executive vice president, Darche will replace Lou Lamoriello, who left the Islanders last month after seven seasons. --Field Level Media
New York Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Mathieu Darche has plenty of Islanders questions to answer — beginning with Patrick Roy
Mathieu Darche's unveiling as general manager of the Islanders will finally take place on Thursday, nearly a week after the 48-year-old was tapped as the successor to Lou Lamoriello, with a news conference at UBS Arena. Now that their monthlong search for someone to head up hockey operations is finally over, the focus turns to what could be an offseason packed with change. Advertisement Darche will have his hands full right from the get-go with key decisions surrounding the coaching and front office staff, the roster, the No. 1 pick in next month's draft and the overall direction of a franchise that's waited so long for change that it might just all come at once. Here are some of the biggest questions he'll need to address on Thursday. Will Patrick Roy be the head coach next season? The biggest question for Darche is the most obvious. If yes, then Darche and Roy will need to build a relationship quickly and Darche will need to navigate everything that comes with Roy's personality. Advertisement If no, then the monthlong GM search that ended Friday becomes a coaching search — with the Islanders showing up late to the carousel. 5 Islanders head coach Patrick Roy's future remains up in air. James Guillory-Imagn Images What, if any, changes will there be to the hockey operations staff aside from Roy? In no particular order, this question is regarding the status of NHL assistant coaches John MacLean, Benoit Desrosiers and Tommy Albelin, AHL Bridgeport coach Rick Kowalsky, assistant GMs Steve Pellegrini and Chris Lamoriello, goalie coach Piero Greco, the scouting staff, the analytics staff and the player development staff. Advertisement If there are changes further down on that list — particularly scouting-wise — now likely isn't the time for them, since the Islanders have just a month before making the No. 1 pick, so it's not really the moment to start firing scouts. Further up the list, though, if there are changes coming, Darche should be making those decisions soon. Will Lou Lamoriello work for the Islanders next season, and if so, in what capacity? Lamoriello and Darche have a relationship dating back to Darche's playing career, and rumors circulated during the GM search that Lamoriello would be kept on as a senior advisor, perhaps to owner Scott Malkin. Advertisement If he's still around, it will be an ongoing question throughout the season whether Lamoriello is influencing hockey decisions. 5 Mathieu Darche will be taking over the Islanders' GM role. Getty Images 5 There have been rumbling around the Islanders that Lou Lamoriello will be kept as a special advisor. Corey Sipkin / New York Post How close does Darche feel the Islanders are to being a Stanley Cup contender? The Islanders were 35-35-12 last season and never looked like a serious contender, but suffered frequent injuries and have the No. 1 pick this summer along with some cap space. Does Darche believe the injection of a couple of young players in Cal Ritchie plus the top pick, along with the right moves in free agency, can fix the Islanders? Or does he think it will require more serious roster reconstruction? What will the Islanders do with the No. 1 pick? 5 Many experts believe Matthew Schaeffer, who played for the Erie Otters last season, will be take by the Islanders with the overall No. 1 pick in the NHL draft. Getty Images We're not expecting Darche to come out and say who he's planning to take — actually it would be a surprise if he was certain about that even in private, though consensus opinion among draft experts is coalescing around defenseman Matthew Schaefer as the top pick. Advertisement Still, it'll be interesting to see how Darche describes his approach to the pick and whether he's open to moving it. How will the Islanders allocate their cap space this summer? The Islanders are projected to have just short of $30 million in space this summer, but if they're planning to more or less keep the roster together, then most of it will go to that end. 5 The Islanders, under Lou Lamoriello, were expected to give Kyle Palmieri an extension, but will that still be the case under the Mathieu Darche' regime. NHLI via Getty Images The two big sub-questions here are Kyle Palmieri and Noah Dobson. Advertisement Lamoriello kept Palmieri at the trade deadline with the intention of signing an extension — does Darche keep things moving along that track or does he view it differently? And with Dobson, a restricted free agent, does Darche view him as a No. 1 defenseman who's worth $10 million-plus annually or is he a little more skeptical, which might mean an openness to trading Dobson's rights or letting him walk via offer sheet? How involved will John Collins be in hockey operations? Collins, a minority owner and operating partner, ran the GM search and will speak alongside Darche at Thursday's presser. Advertisement His expertise is on the business side, and it's a safe bet that he'll have a major say in reshaping that part of the Islanders operation; it's less clear whether he'll be a part of hockey ops. We know from the news release announcing the hire that Darche 'will manage all aspects of the team's hockey operations' but not whether he will have final say.
