"Today's players need a new kind of coach," Torrey explained. "The game isn't like it was in 1946 or 1956 or even 1966. You can't arbitrarily dictate to a player today. They have to understand why you want something done."
The former Washington Capitals forward has mutually terminated his contract with SKA Saint Petersburg and is reportedly coming back stateside to join another NHL organization. According to NHL.com's Stefen Rosner, Dubé, a 2024 Calder Cup champion with the Hershey Bears, is set to sign a deal with the New York Islanders. Given he's coming over in the middle of the NHL season, Dubé will need to clear waivers before joining the Isles and then likely get sent to the AHL's Bridgeport Islanders.
After 25 years in Los Angeles, Cheeseman said the opportunity to return east and help shape the future of the New York Islanders was irresistible. "The opportunity to come back and partner with Malkin and John Collins and John Ledecky and the great ownership group here to bring a cutback to Long Island is really the intriguing piece to me," Cheeseman said on Hockey Night in New York with Sean Cuthbert and Arthur Staple. "I like building. I like building opportunities."
Mathieu Darche isn't panicking - and that may be the most important part of the New York Islanders' response to Alexander Romanov's absence. Rather than forcing a trade or rushing into an external fix, the Islanders' general manager is leaning into something he believes in deeply: development, patience, and the Bridgeport pipeline. 'You don't want to make a knee-jerk reaction,' Darche said via the New York Post when asked about replacing Romanov.
At the midpoint of the 82-game grind, Lee believes the Islanders have done "some really good work," pointing to stretches of strong hockey and an ability to push through adversity that inevitably shows up over the first 41 games. Some opportunities were seized, others slipped away, but Lee views that as part of the process rather than a red flag.
The New York Islanders are in a weird spot. The blue and orange are currently the eighth-best team in the NHL, but are in the midst of a retool. When the team lost Kyle Palmieri and Alexander Romanov for the season, its depth was tested, and so far has succeeded. The Islanders have had the "too many players that should be playing problem," which is a good problem to have, except that the Islanders should make a few moves.
There are certain moments in New York Islanders history that never really fade. They just wait for the right time to be remembered again. Tuesday night at UBS Arena, the Islanders leaned all the way into one of the most infamous, chaotic, and unintentionally perfect moments the franchise has ever produced by selling shirts commemorating the legendary Santa Brawl of 2003.
The tone was set early-and poorly-for New York. Vancouver stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, capitalizing on defensive breakdowns and passive coverage that left Ilya Sorokin exposed. David Kampf opened the scoring at 8:55 with his first goal of the season, Sherwood followed less than two minutes later, then struck again at 15:47 to bury the Islanders before the first intermission horn.
"We just try different things," head coach Patrick Roy said after Thursday's practice. "All year, since the start of the year, we said we're going to try different things with our lines, and we do the same thing with our defensemen."
Pat LaFontaine has waited long enough - and New York Islanders fans have waited right along with him. On Saturday afternoon at UBS Arena, one of the most electrifying, beloved, and downright iconic players ever to wear the Islanders crest will finally take his rightful place in the Islanders Hall of Fame. And let's be honest: this honor is long overdue. Hall of Famer. Franchise pillar. Face of an era. Pat LaFontaine has been all of that and more.
