Peter DeBoer immediate gives the New York Islanders an advantage in the Metropolitan Division

After he was fired by the Dallas Stars after yet another appearance in the Western Conference Finals, Peter DeBoer took most of last season to collect himself and be patient, waiting for his next opportunity. He likely had a chance to go after the list of open jobs across the league, but the Stars fired him on June 6th. Some might find that being a dirty move, as all the other NHL jobs were taken, but the NHL is a dirty business. 

DeBoer was forced to wait for his next opportunity. A few interesting opportunities came up last season, including the Columbus Blue Jackets, who hired Rick Bowness in January. If DeBoer waited until the offseason, he would have had a lot more of an opportunity to choose his next destination. The Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, and Toronto Maple Leafs all hired new coaches this offseason.

Those five teams offer very different opportunities to DeBoer, but he chose the certainty that comes with the Islanders’ job, and honestly, the Islanders probably got the best coach hired this offseason.

DeBoer has a knack for getting clubs to the Conference Finals. While he hasn’t won a Stanley Cup, he did surprisingly make it to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final with the New Jersey Devils and in 2016 with the San Jose Sharks, but he lost both series 4-2. He hasn’t won a Conference Final since, but he’s been incredibly close. 

When looking at the coaches around the Metropolitan Division, the Islanders might have immediately gotten themselves one of the best coaches. Mike Sullivan has the best resume in the division, but he seems to have lost his fastball since winning those Cups with Pittsburgh.

Peter DeBoer compares favorably against the rest of the Metropolitan Division

Speaking of Pittsburgh, Dan Muse has huge shoes to fill after a positive first season, but his team got worse, the question marks got more prominent, and they still don’t seem to have the roster to repeat their success. The Flyers have a great coach in Rick Tocchet, but that roster is asking a lot of Dan Vladar to stay competitive. 

Sheldon Keefe is fighting the hot seat, which leaves two coaches in DeBoer’s status. Spencer Carbury in Washington is one of the better up-and-coming head coaches, and the Carolina Hurricanes and Rod Brind’Amour are coming off a Stanley Cup win. 

DeBoer clearly gives the Islanders a top-three coach in the Metropolitan Division, and we’ve seen what happens when the Isles have a top coach in the division. Barry Trotz carried the Islanders to two Eastern Conference Finals despite many considering their rosters lesser than the rest of the league. 

Many Islanders fans are not happy with the offseason, and it was unusually quiet on the Island. They didn’t even buy out Ondrej Palat. 

Still, with DeBoer behind the bench, the Islanders are forcing the rest of the division to take them seriously. They still have a great roster with one of the best goalies in hockey. The playoffs are not a formality, but DeBoer gives them a ton of confidence. 

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