NY Islanders relieve assistant coach Benoit Desrosiers of his duties

The New York Islanders confirmed this afternoon that assistant coach Benoit Desrosiers was relieved of his duties following the 2025-26 season.

Desrosiers, 37, has coached the Islanders since Patrick Roy was hired to take over from Lane Lambert in January of 2024. Roy brought in Desrosiers from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League where the two had previously worked with the Quebec Ramparts.

Desrosiers earned a head coaching job with the Gatineau Olympiques after his time in Quebec. During his first season as head coach in Gatineau, Patrick Roy and the NHL came knocking.

Desrosiers was largely credited with his face off work in which the Islanders led the league in face-off percentage a season ago. This season the Islanders were 5th. Stability in the circle is crucial for success. Winning face-offs is possession, something the Islanders will have to hope continues post Desrosiers.

Unfortunately for Benoit, he was always going to be colateral damage after the Patrick Roy firing.

He is a great young hockey mind that will certainly bounceback in the industry.

The question that now comes is how will Pete DeBoer address his coaching staff from here. Assistant coaches Bob Boughner and Ray Bennett are still under contract however there is uncertainty of where DeBoer will draw the line.

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