New York Islanders news is buzzing on Sunday with a stunning, but not surprising, move.
The club announced the firing of Patrick Roy as head coach. Unfortunately for Roy, the writing was on the wall. The Isles are riding a four-game losing skid at the most critical juncture this season.
Moreover, the Islanders are 3-7-0 in their last 10. That’s why it’s a miracle that they’re still in a playoff spot at this point. The Islanders have been lucky that the Columbus Blue Jackets have gone off the rails, losing six in a row, while the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers haven’t made a significant move.
But what has shocked the NHL about this Islanders news is the timing of this move. The coaching change comes with four games left in the regular season. It might seem like a bit late to make the change. But then again, it’s not every day that a team can hire a coach like Peter DeBoer.
And that’s what this move is all about. Roy has pretty much lost the room. His voice is no longer working, and with someone like DeBoer available, Islanders news hit the airwaves.
The hope is that the club can rally around DeBoer and secure a playoff spot. But it’s more than just securing a playoff spot at this point. It’s about making a solid playoff run. The organization wants Islanders news to reflect a strong team heading into the postseason.
A first-round exit won’t be enough for this organization.
DeBoer Makes More Than Just Islanders News
Peter DeBoer has been making more than just Islanders news this season. The 57-year-old was a high-profile candidate for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Earlier this season, chatter in Toronto suggested that the Maple Leafs wanted to fire Craig Berube and hire DeBoer.
DeBoer publicly shot down the rumors, making it clear he was focused on his assistant coaching role with Team Canada’s Olympic team.
After the Olympics, DeBoer has kept a bit of a low profile. He had publicly stated that he wasn’t necessarily looking for a job at this point.
But the Islanders news on Sunday has completely flipped that narrative. DeBoer is now back in the business and looking to turn around the club before it’s too late this season.
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Isles New Coach Is No Stopgap Solution
The other side of this move is the fact that DeBoer is not a stopgap solution. Unlike Rick Bowness in Columbus, DeBoer won’t just be running out the season. The former Dallas Stars’ bench boss will be taking over for the foreseeable future, as insider Elliotte Friedman noted.
That’s an interesting bit of Islanders news. It suggests that the organization and DeBoer had been talking for a while. As such, the Isles aren’t looking to just stop the bleeding now. Sure, the goal is to make the postseason.
The broader goal, nonetheless, is to set the team up for long-term success. So, coaching changes will likely take a rest in the Islanders news cycle.
Islanders News: Isles Fire Roy, Hire DeBoer