"In the first week after I got the job, I spoke with every player on the team and I told them, 'I'm not tearing it down,'" Darche said in The Athletic."
""This team had a lot of injuries, and the special teams really struggled, but I think this team can make the playoffs," he said."
Mathieu Darche took over as general manager in May and immediately made clear there would be no teardown on Long Island. He views last season's struggles as circumstantial rather than structural. The Islanders suffered extensive 2024-25 injuries, especially on the blue line, and endured historically poor special teams, with both the power play and penalty kill ranking near the bottom. Those issues negated strong five-on-five stretches and cost standings points. Darche believes the problems are correctable and that a veteran core anchored by Horvat, Barzal, Pelech, Pulock and Sorokin can contend. Additions include first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer and free agent Jonathan Drouin. Darche plans a retool-on-the-fly approach aimed at returning to the playoffs.
Read at Eyes On Isles
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]