The New York Islanders made the shocking decision to sack head coach Patrick Roy right before the playoffs. Roy was an important figure in the team. A vocal presence in the locker room, there was speculation surrounding his future after the team lost four consecutive games and seven of their last ten games.
There were also rumors that some of the Islanders players were turning on Patrick Roy, which further influenced the decision to let him go. GM Mathieu Darche recently addressed these rumors. According to an X post by reporter Greg Wyshynski, Darche stated,
“Patrick hasn’t lost the room. It wasn’t about [that] guys don’t want to play for him, by any means. Guys respected Patrick a ton. Again, we just wanted to move it forward from where the things have been trending.”
Roy joined the Islanders in January 2024, and at that time replaced Lou Lamoriello. The main reason seemingly behind his hiring was to improve the team’s defense, which relied heavily on star goalie Ilya Sorokin.
He was the head coach for around three seasons, and despite that, there were significant inconsistencies with the team’s defense. The Islanders went 97-78-22 throughout his tenure.
The team missed the playoffs in 2024, Patrick Roy’s debut season, but they did make it in 2025 before being eliminated in the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes.
This season, they are on the verge of qualification, with a 23% chance of making it. The team has since hired new head coach, Peter DeBoer, who is expected to make some adjustments to help the team make the playoffs.
Islanders GM Mathieu Darche discusses true reason behind Patrick Roy firing
Following the surprising announcement of Patrick Roy’s release, it was suspected that the head coach was fired following the team’s fourth consecutive loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Interestingly, Mattheu Darche dismissed these rumors, noting that the decision was not based on a single game and that the decision is made after studying the team throughout the season.
Additionally, Darche claimed that Peter DeBoer’s was availability in the market also influenced the decision. According to Eyes on Isles, Darche stated,
“It’s never one game, it’s never one moment. You’re evaluating the team throughout the year. I just felt the last little bit here, we weren’t as sharp… we were sliding a bit. Guys like Pete DeBoer don’t stay on the market very long. His pedigree… his success speaks for itself. It’s like grabbing the No. 1 free agent on the market. I expect the players to react like, ‘Look at the coach we brought in.’ He believes in our roster.”
The Islanders still have four regular-season games left, and they have 89 points in 78 games, one point less than the Philadelphia Flyers, who are now in third place in the Metropolitan Division.
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