Insiders share the behind-the-scenes information on today’s surprising coaching change.
On Sunday, the New York Islanders shocked everyone in the NHL by deciding to let go of head coach Patrick Roy. The Islanders’ announcement stated that Roy was no longer the head coach and that they had brought in well-regarded coach Peter DeBoer to take over right away.
The big question is why the Islanders decided to fire Roy and why they did it now. There are a few clues that help us understand what happened in the last few days.
Patrick Roy openly questioned his team.
The Islanders are in a very close playoff competition in the Eastern Conference. After a disappointing loss to the Carolina Hurricanes last week, where the team didn’t earn any points, Roy publicly criticized his players. He not only doubted their mental readiness but also suggested that they needed to put in more effort for him as their coach.
Roy’s choice to publicly criticize his players might have been the final push that led to his dismissal.
Poor defense strategy.
It will be interesting to see how the #Isles respond after Roy’s postgame presser.
Roy took part of the blame, but he doesn’t play the games or control their energy levels.
They need to play for each other, but if they appreciate Roy, they need to play for him, too.
— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) April 4, 2026
According to a report by Emily Kaplan from ESPN, there was a belief within the Islanders’ organization that goalie Ilya Sorokin was facing too many challenges, as the team wasn’t working well defensively.
Mathieu Darche brings in his first head coach.
Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche didn’t hire Patrick Roy himself but took over his position from former general manager Lou Lamoriello. This is Darche’s first real opportunity to choose his own coach since becoming the general manager, and coaches like Peter DeBoer don’t always stay available.
Peter DeBoer.
According to Kaplan, the Islanders might have wanted to make a move now rather than wait for the summer when other teams could also try to hire DeBoer.
Different from John Tortorella, who just became the coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, DeBoer secured a longer contract. This suggests that, unless something goes very wrong, he will continue to be the coach of the Islanders after this season is over.
On Islanders firing Patrick Roy with four games remaining:
Heard NY felt they were leaving Ilya Sorokin exposed and needed better defensive structure. There’s more term than Torts deal so Isles are getting ahead of the cycle before someone else hired DeBoer this summer.
— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) April 5, 2026
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