Mathieu Darche decisively building Islanders into his vision

"Bad breakfast puns aside, the Islanders' first-year general manager has shown in his relatively short yet eventful time on the job that he does not shy away from the hard choices, right or wrong (and it's been a lot more right). It's a trait 100% necessary for a good GM. From coaching decisions to trades to loosening the belt on predecessor Lou Lamoriello's buttoned-down culture, Darche quickly has reshaped the organization into one reflecting his vision."

""No, he doesn't," Bo Horvat said. "It's still early and I think he's done a great job of doing it the way he wants to do it. Kudos to him. It's his team. It's his decisions.""

"The latest example of Darche's willingness to act and act fast came when, with significant input from coach and Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy, he jettisoned goalie coach Piero Greco six games into the season as No. 1 netminder Ilya Sorokin looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable and lacked confidence through his first starts. There's no denying that Greco, who joined the Islanders in 2018, is a quality goalie coach and played an integral role in Sorokin's development into one of the NHL's top goalies - he was the runner-up in the Vezina Trophy balloting in 2023 - not to mention the work he did with Robin Lehner in 2018-19 when he finished third in the Vezina voting and he and partner Thomas Greiss won the Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals. But Darche believed promoting Sorokin's former KHL goalie coach, Sergei Naumovs, from the Islanders' AHL affiliate in Bridgeport was a better option. Time will tell whether it was the right decision."

Mathieu Darche, the Islanders' first-year general manager, has quickly implemented decisive personnel and cultural changes across coaching, trades, and organizational tone. The team holds a 4-3-1 record and maintains a five-game point streak despite a recent 4-3 shootout loss in Philadelphia that ended a four-game winning streak. Darche removed goalie coach Piero Greco six games into the season after Ilya Sorokin displayed discomfort and confidence issues, and promoted Sergei Naumovs from the AHL with input from coach Patrick Roy. Greco had played an integral role in Sorokin's development and previously worked with Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss.

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