Pete DeBoer & His Islanders’ Coaching Staff: X Marks The Spott
As Pete DeBoer builds out his Islanders coaching staff, history suggests he could turn to a familiar name in Steve Spott to help address key issues.
Some head coaches have their ride-or-die assistants who they bring with them to each gig. The best example that New York Islanders fans can relate to is Barry Trotz and Lane Lambert.
Lambert joined Trotz’s Nashville Predators staff in 2011-12, before Trotz brought him to Washington, D.C. in 2014 and then Long Island in 2018. Trotz had Lambert as an assistant for 12 seasons before Barry was relieved of duties following the 2021-22 season. Lambert was elevated to head coach but was relieved of his duties halfway through the 2023-24 season.
Had Trotz been a head coach elsewhere after the Islanders let Lamber go, I’m sure the two would have reunited.
That brings us to Islanders head coach Pete DeBoer and what he decides to do with his staff.
On Wednesday, the Islanders announced that assistant coach Ray Bennett will not return to DeBoer’s staff.
General manager Mathieu Darche and former head coach Patrick Roy brought in the veteran offense and power-play coach for the 2025-26 season after he had been running Colorado’s power play for eight years.
However, Bennett’s first season on the island didn’t go as planned.
The Islanders finished the regular season with the 25th-ranked offense — averaging 2.79 goals per game — and the 30th-ranked power play — 16.5 percent.
Bennett was tasked with fixing a decade-long problem, but ultimately wasn’t able to do so.
Yes, a lot of the power-play failures are on the players, but none of the players, at least on the top unit, are going anywhere, so someone needs to come in who can break the bad habits that continue to plague the man-advantage unit.
Look no further than Steve Spott to replace Bennett, someone who has been DeBoer’s ride or die.