Initial Thoughts On Darche Hiring; His To-Do List

It took almost a month but the Islanders have their GM.

Welcome to Free Friday, Elmonters!

The Islanders have their guy. After an extensive search that lasted more than a month, Mathieu Darche has been named the fifth general manager in franchise history.

The Islanders have yet to make the hiring official, but I can confirm it’s coming.

Darche has been with the Tampa Bay Lightning since 2019-20, first as their Director of Hockey Operations before earning the Assistant GM title in 2022-23, making the playoffs in all six seasons.

The Islanders have not named a president at this time.

It seemed like a two-horse race down the stretch between Marc Bergevin and Mathieu Darche.

Experience mattered a great deal throughout the interview process. There were extensive interviews, and while Bergevin had the experience as a GM — 10 years in Montreal — it’s clear that Darche’s time with Tampa, winning two Stanley Cups, outweighed his lack of ever holding a GM position.

Darche’s bread and butter is scouting, which got him hired in Tampa. He’s been involved in many contract negotiations and has helped keep Tampa a Stanley Cup contender.

He understands the importance of prospect development and the importance of not holding onto players if it’s time to move on.

The Islanders believe he’s the right guy going forward.

Here’s Darche’s To-Do List:

1. Patrick Roy’s Future: Roy has a three-year extension that’s about to kick in. At this point, is a better coaching option available on the open market?

2. Roy’s Staff: Outside of Benoit Desrosiers, who led the Islanders to first in the NHL in the face-off dot (54.8%), John MacLean and Tommy Albelin, Lou hires, didn’t get the job done. The power play (12.6%) and the penalty kill (72.2%) finished 31st in the NHL. Roy should have the ability to pick his staff, and I wouldn’t be shocked if Desrosiers got a bigger role.

3. Bridgeport: After back-to-back last-place finishes, with their four home wins in 2024-25 the fewest in AHL history, change is needed. Chris Lamoriello has been with the Islanders since the 2016-17 season, being named the Director of Player Personnel before getting the AGM role and Bridgeport GM role in 2017-18 once Lou was hired. Rick Kowalsky, who was elevated from assistant head coach of Bridgeport to head coach before the 2023-24 season, has not had success in that role. Bridgeport has finished dead last in the AHL in both seasons. Kowalsky’s assistants, Matt MacDonald & Pascal Rhéaume, did not have their contracts renewed. One would expect a complete overhaul.

4. Contracts: Darche has 12 pending free agents to deal with: five UFAs and 7 RFAs. He’ll have to decide if veteran Kyle Palmieri should be brought back and what number. Should he go long-term or shorter-term with Noah Dobson? What about Alexander Romanov, Maxim Tsyplakov, and Simon Holmstrom? Should Tony DeAngelo or Mike Reilly be back, or neither? Is Isaiah George ready to be an everyday NHLer?

5. The NHL Draft: It’s very likely that the Islanders’ current scouting department will handle the draft like we saw when Lou first took over, the year the Islanders drafted Oliver Wahlstrom. But there’s no question that Darche knows the top candidates and likely, in his mind, already knows who he will select with the first overall pick.

6. Cap Space for Free Agency: Currently, the Islanders have $28.3 million in projected cap space before signing or trading anyone. Doing some quick estimates, after the Islanders make their signings and potentially trade one or two contracts, they will likely have enough money to pursue one of the top-flight free agents. I think that the Islanders will be heavily involved in the Mitch Marner and Nikolaj Ehlers sweepstakes if both are indeed available on July 1.

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