Patrick Roy plans to put special teams in focus at NY Islanders training camp

Patrick Roy is set to put his stamp on his second full New York Islanders training camp by doing things differently than he did last fall. One year ago, his focus leaned heavily toward conditioning, ensuring his players were in peak shape for the grind of the season. This September, Roy is shifting his priorities — placing a spotlight on structure and special teams play, the very areas he believes cost the Islanders a playoff spot last spring.

Roy was blunt about the need for improvement, admitting that if the power play and penalty kill had been even marginally better, the Islanders likely would have extended their season. The Isles finished near the bottom of the league in both categories, a fatal flaw that neutralized their five-on-five competitiveness. With that in mind, Roy has built his camp plan to incorporate early and frequent work on both units, beginning around Day 3 of camp.

"I’m going to look for power play and penalty killing. I think last year if our power play and our PK would have been better, we probably would have made the playoffs," said Roy at the team's annual golf outing. "We made some changes obviously in the offseason and I’m very excited about those changes. And I’m certainly going to use training camp in order for us not to win the first game, but be ready for that first game — basically, be the best version of ourselves before the start of the season."

The adjustment reflects Roy’s belief that training camp shouldn’t just be about “winning the first game,” but about being a complete team by opening night. He wants the Islanders to leave camp with a clear identity on special teams, from structure and positioning to pace and execution. That means integrating new personnel — such as Jonathan Drouin and Maxim Shabanov — in power play roles, while tightening defensive details for a penalty kill that was inconsistent a year ago.

Roy’s decision also shows his adaptability as a coach. He credits last season’s experience with teaching him what needed to change. Now, instead of running players through long skates and conditioning-heavy sessions, he’s creating more game-like situations that mimic the pressure moments where special teams can decide outcomes.

Time will tell if that makes a big difference come the start of the regular season.