Overview
- The Islanders fired Roy and hired DeBoer on Sunday, leaving four games to climb one point into a playoff spot.
- GM Mathieu Darche said the move followed a weeks-long slide and breakdowns that left Ilya Sorokin facing a league-high share of high-danger shots.
- DeBoer agreed to a contract through the 2028–29 season, which aligns with Darche’s term, and the team is keeping the assistant and goalie coaches for now.
- DeBoer, who owns 662 career NHL wins and multiple deep playoff runs, debuts Thursday against the Maple Leafs after practices focused on simple “non‑negotiables” like cleaner line changes, stronger backchecking, and tighter zone coverage.
- Darche rejected claims Roy “lost the room” and cast the hire as a short-term push with playoff odds reported around 20–30 percent and a longer-term reset of the team’s identity.