Mathieu Darche sounding very Lamoriello-like in early days as NY Islanders GM

We’re only a few days into the Mathieu Darche era on Long Island, but if you closed your eyes during his introductory press conference and pretended to hear a New England accent instead of French-Canadian, you might’ve thought Lou Lamoriello was still running the New York Islanders.

For all the talk of a “new voice” and fresh ideas, Darche is sounding very Lamoriello-like out of the gate - and honestly, it's got some Islanders fans wondering how much will change this summer and into next season. In an interview on TVA Sports in French, Darche spoke about a belief in the Islanders' core and reiterated the Lamoriello stance that a rebuild or reconstruction wasn't necessary.

"There are too many good players here," the translated text of Darche's interview stated. "When you look at the centers, Barzal, Horvat, Pageau, (and the defensemen), Romanov, Pelech, Pulock, Dobson, along with (goaltender) Sorokin." So far, Darche is speaking highly of the roster, but he didn’t offer many specifics and clearly values the foundation already in place. Sound familiar? Also in the interview, Darche said he spent hours with Lamoriello talking about the organization. "I have an opinion of players," said Darche, "but when you arrive. you realize it may be something else."

And look - we get it. The Islanders aren’t in teardown mode. This isn’t a total rebuild situation. But for a fanbase that was hoping for at least a hint of a more drastic philosophical shift, Darche’s early messaging feels more like continuity than change. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Lou’s tenure brought stability, structure, and back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference Final; it just feels like the Islanders have drifted further away from those days with each passing season.

Darche, who learned under Julien BriseBois in Tampa, knows the value of patience and internal development. But the biggest gripe for Islanders fans isn't that this team isn't good enough to make the playoffs, it's that it is not close to being a Stanley Cup contender, and it's hard to reconcile that with the age of some of their players and the contracts they carry in the years to come.

If you were thinking this would become a summer of more drastic changes, where Pageau, a veteran defenseman and perhaps even captain Anders Lee, would be traded, you may have to wait until the trade deadline, if not longer, for that to become a possibility. Darche may decide to use this season as an evaluation of the roster before making any significant moves, and that won't be very reassuring to some who were hoping for more imminent change following his assumption of the GM role.

Make no mistake. Things will be different under Darche. The Islanders will conduct their business differently, but based on the early statements, it sounds like, at least heading into next season, the team will more likely than not resemble the one that skated under Patrick Roy last season and missed the playoffs. The bigger changes may take longer to materialize, and fans will have to become content with that if that's the direction Darche and his new front office believe is best.