Why this offseason has been so promising for the NY Islanders

With the departure of GM Lou Lamoriello at the end of the 2024-25 season, there was a general curiosity of what the Islanders offseason would look like with new General Manager Mathieu Darche stepping in. The news came suddenly, and many fans were concerned whether or not he was going to make a good first impression or not, and I think it's safe to say that what we have seen so far from Darche has gotten the Islanders community very excited for this new season.

Creating a younger roster

What the islanders struggle with is being an organization with a sort of "settling down" energy. The Islanders were not seen as a team that brought up young promising talent, but instead a team that brought in older guys who were ready to move to Long Island and settle down before they retire. Even with the acquisition of Bo Horvat, one of the things he stated was that he was excited to be on Long Island because it's a good place to raise kids and have your family after you finish playing. Not to mention Lamoriello constantly bringing in his former New Jersey Devils players quite a bit after their prime, when they are slowing down and riding out the last few years of professional hockey.

What Darche has been doing, bringing in tons of guys that have played a good game but still have space to improve and several years left of playing, is huge. With the draft this offseason as well, we'll be watching closely to see if Matthew Schaefer gets his wish of making the opening night roster. Hopefully Darche and Roy will give the kids more room and time to grow than Lamoriello and Lambert did.

Taking a look at last season

Islanders fans have had a tough time having offseason excitement up until this point. When looking at last off-seasons list of moves, the most notable was the signing of Anthony Duclair. While Duclair was a solid player, he ended up taking a bit of a leave of absence after being publicly criticized by Roy following a tough game. Great players that Lamoriello brought in were struggling to fit in with the group, due to the roster being full of veterans who weren't able to adapt their game as much.

Fans were disappointed year after year, because of the fact that Lamoriello did not let anything get out of his office regarding news/rumors, and it was always a very quiet and frustrating summer as fans watched teams all over the league bring in young players, make trades, and take time to rebuild.

It's fair at this point to say that this season will be a turning point for the organization, no matter how well the team does come the playoffs, this is a new era of Islanders hockey and we're excited for the first time in a while for this season to kick off.