Why Islanders General Manager Mathieu Darche Was Right To Push For The Stanley Cup Playoffs

The New York Islanders missed the playoffs, but the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs continue to show why Mathieu Darche’s push to get in may have still been the right approach for the organization’s future.

If the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs have reinforced anything, it’s that there’s real value in simply getting in.

It’s a cliché hockey fans roll their eyes at every spring, but every year, teams continue to prove why it exists.