NY Islanders GM Mathieu Darche always knew Patrick Roy could be his scapegoat

When Mathieu Darche took over as general manager of the New York Islanders, he had a clean slate — an opportunity to reshape the organization fully in his vision. But instead of immediately making a coaching change, he chose to retain Patrick Roy, the Hockey Hall of Famer who had already been behind the bench on Long Island for a season and a half with mixed results.

At the time, it felt like stability. The safe choice, even if it was a surprisng one.

In reality, it may have been strategy.

Darche understood the position he was in. As a first-year GM, he would be granted time and flexibility — including the eventual opportunity to hire his own coach. By keeping Roy, he created a no-lose scenario. If the Islanders exceeded expectations, Darche would share in the credit. If they fell short, he would have a built-in pivot point.

And that’s exactly how it played out.

For much of the season, Roy helped guide a team that wasn’t expected to contend into the playoff picture. Behind standout performances from Matthew Schaefer and Ilya Sorokin, the Islanders became one of the league’s surprise teams. Darche didn’t just observe — he invested.

At the trade deadline, he pushed his chips in, sending a first-round pick, a third-rounder, a goalie prospect, and Jonathan Drouin to acquire Brayden Schenn. That’s not a move made by a general manager unsure of his coach. That’s a move made in belief — in the team, the moment, and the leadership behind the bench.

But when the Islanders stumbled late, losing four straight and slipping toward the playoff bubble, the equation changed.

Darche made the move he always had in his back pocket.

By parting ways with Roy and bringing in Peter DeBoer on Easter Sunday, Darche reset the narrative. Suddenly, the focus shifts forward — to a new voice, a new system, a new era.

And Roy?

He absorbs the fallout.

It’s a shrewd, calculated play by a new GM protecting his runway. But it also underscores a harsh reality in hockey: sometimes, the coach is the easiest lever to pull — even when the story is far more complicated.