Darche, Reinforcement Hunting, Pulls Off A Rare Local One-Two

Darche leveraged LTIR and patience to improve Islanders depth, acquiring Carson Soucy and Ondrej Palat during a pivotal stretch.

Stefen Rosner, The Elmonters, and David Kolb

Jan 28, 2026

∙ Paid

**PHOTO: Sam Johnston/New York Islanders and Johnny Pensiero/New York Islanders**

Questions about the New York Islanders’ ability to hold a playoff spot came to the forefront over the course of their seven-game road trip. They went 3-3-1, weren’t the better team in any of the games, ending the over two-week trek with an uninspiring 5-1 loss at the hands of Lane Lambert’s Seattle Kraken.

The negative noise only grew louder after they were shut out in their return home, falling 5-0 to the Buffalo Sabres.

Darche, Reinforcement Hunting, Pulls Off A Rare Local One-Two

Darche leveraged LTIR and patience to improve Islanders depth, acquiring Carson Soucy and Ondrej Palat during a pivotal stretch.

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