Patrick Roy should remain the head coach of the NY Islanders

Patrick Roy’s first season as head coach of the NY Islanders didn’t go as planned for the 59-year-old Hall of Fame goaltender. 

Bringing the Islanders back from the dead last season to make the playoffs in game 81, there was an expectation for the Isles to get back to the postseason, but they fell far short of their mark.

Finishing with 82 points in 82 games, the Isles finished nine points out of the second Wild Card spot with three teams ahead of them.

Patrick Roy should remain in charge

Now, Roy may be on the hot seat, as changes are expected during the off-season. But does he deserve to be?

Things headed south for the Isles right off the bat, with newly signed Anthony Duclair going down to injury early in the season, seemingly never fully recovering. From there, the injuries continued, as nine players on the opening night roster missed at least 10 games.

Roy expressed frustration with his roster in late October after Duclair was ruled out and the team signed Matt Martin.

“Right now, I mean, I won’t lie,” Roy said. “The spots number 11 and 12, we don’t feel comfortable yet with the guys, and we’re going to try until we find the guys that we are comfortable with.”

As head coach, Roy works directly with Lou Lamoriello, but Lamoriello has the final say. Missing Mat Barzal for most of the season, an unhealthy Duclair, and without the entire right or left side of defense out of the lineup at times, much of the struggles were out of Roy’s hands.

Since taking over last January, we haven’t seen the same fiery Roy we saw in Colorado. That’s not to say he should be at that intensity, but that’s part of his personality and what makes Roy himself, dating back to his time in the crease.

Few people process the game as Roy does, and he wants his players to play a certain way. With the amount of injuries and lineup changes, it was nearly impossible to gain any sort of synergy each game.

If the Isles have another horrific season, it should be time to move on from Roy, but he deserves another shot with what will hopefully be a healthier lineup in 2025-26.