New Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche faces extensive to-do list

New York Islanders majority owner Scott Malkin, operating partner John Collins and co-owner Jon Ledecky found their new executive on Friday. Mathieu Darche had the least experience of the candidates the Islanders owners considered — far less than Ken Holland, Marc Bergevin, Jarmo Kekäläinen or Jeff Gorton, who have been NHL general managers for over 10 years.

But there can be no training wheels on this hire. The Islanders had a long list of things to address even before ownership informed Lou Lamoriello on April 22 that his contract would not be renewed; if anything, the list has gotten longer in the month since that move.

The search for a new GM has pushed those action items to the side for a few weeks, but now time is accordingly shorter this offseason. So here’s a quick look at all the things Darche has ahead of him as he takes over a team for the first time.

The coach

Malkin and Collins made it clear from the outset of their search that whoever was hired has final say over all hockey decisions. That includes the fate of Patrick Roy, who has coached just 119 games for the Islanders but has a three-year contract still ahead of him. Roy did not have any input in this search, but according to a team source, Roy did express some thoughts to ownership as the search played out.

That could indicate a desire on Malkin’s part to keep Roy around for at least another year despite giving Darche full control of hockey operations. The three years (at a salary believed to be north of $3 million per year) probably doesn’t hurt Roy’s case to stick around either. The source said Roy and Lamoriello were at odds last season over the style the coach wanted the Islanders to play and whether the 2024-25 roster was capable of playing that way, so Darche may want to see if Roy can coach his preferred, up-tempo style with any changes the new GM could provide before training camp.

If Darche makes the decision to move on from Roy in the coming weeks, then he likely has a coach in mind. He could look to the Lightning staff, which has former NHLer and promising assistant coach Jeff Halpern and veteran junior and AHL coach Joël Bouchard in Syracuse. That said, a first-time NHL coach for these Islanders might indicate this team is not angling to contend right away, which may not be the message Darche wants to send.

Among the veteran NHL coaches available, the pickings are slim — there’s the last three Rangers coaches in David Quinn, Gerard Gallant and Peter Laviolette, but not many others with serious NHL experience.

The front office

Darche and the Islanders owners may know what Lamoriello, who turns 83 in October, plans to do once his contract expires June 30. The rest of us do not, so it’s hard to say at the moment whether Lamoriello will have some role as a consultant to Malkin or Darche, go elsewhere or retire. Darche’s last NHL training camp as a player was with the New Jersey Devils in 2013, after the half-season lockout. According to reports, Darche and Lamoriello talked often before Darche ended up retiring rather than signing a contract, so there’s a relationship between the two.

Beyond Lamoriello, Darche will have to decide what to do with current Islanders assistant GMs Chris Lamoriello and Steve Pellegrini, as well as how to proceed with scouting and development staffs that have largely remained untouched since Garth Snow was GM.

As with Roy, time is short. Most NHL teams are currently deep into their pro scouting meetings, identifying players to pursue in free agency or trades, and the amateur meetings will begin soon with the NHL combine less than a week away. Unless Darche has an org chart to end all org charts ready to go — and unless he can pry prospective AGMs and directors from their current gigs at this late date — he may ride through the first part of this offseason with Lamoriello’s crew and then sort things out later.

The No. 1 pick

Hey, a good problem to have!

The Islanders won the draft lottery during the GM search, giving Darche a top prospect right off the bat. Darche will attend next week’s combine in Buffalo getting right to work on grilling the top prospects and seeing who his new amateur scouting staff is zeroing in on.

Erie defenseman Matthew Schaefer is the across-the-board, consensus No. 1 prospect. There’s also prolific Saginaw center Michael Misa and the sentimental pick in Boston College center and Hauppauge native James Hagens, who grew up a huge Islanders fan.

Perhaps Darche will entertain trade offers too, though that might be a little too bold right out of the gate for a new GM. It will be a fascinating process for Darche to take the reins and make the first pick in a month — and also a good way to evaluate his own scouts.

The roster

Darche has to do all the above while also figuring out what to do with the Islanders roster, which has produced mediocre results over the last four years. In addition to the top pick, the Islanders have Calum Ritchie (acquired in the Brock Nelson trade at the deadline), plus a couple of other promising young players in Isaiah George and Cole Eiserman who may be ready to make the leap. Aside from those prospects, there isn’t anyone knocking down the door for a roster spot, so Darche will have to decide whether the current group needs a major overhaul or just a few tweaks.

In the overhaul department: J-G Pageau is entering his contract year and one (or two) of Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield would need to be moved, somehow, to change out the defense corps. Darche must also decide whether to keep Semyon Varlamov as Ilya Sorokin’s backup or buy out the 37-year-old goalie.

Buyouts could be on the table for Pierre Engvall and Mayfield, neither of whom got much love from Roy and both of whom have virtually untradeable contracts with five years left.

The free agents

Kyle Palmieri’s camp was closing in on a contract extension with Lamoriello when the Islanders made their move with the GM. Darche may have a different view of the 34-year-old Palmieri, which would be a tough look — not in letting Palmieri walk, but seeing him walk for nothing when the Islanders could have moved him for a second-round pick and a prospect at the deadline.

RFA defenseman Adam Boqvist also had a deal with Lamoriello that wasn’t signed, according to reports. And Darche will jump right into negotiations with RFA defensemen Alex Romanov and Noah Dobson, the latter of whom could command a big contract. There’s also RFA Simon Holmstrom, coming off his entry-level deal, and UFA defenseman Tony DeAngelo.

Darche is under zero obligations to honor whatever deals Lamoriello had or was close to having. He has to have alternate plans, though, especially if he decides to let Palmieri and his 24 goals walk — a surprisingly decent part of the Isles’ offense last season.

The AHL

Perhaps nowhere is this franchise in bigger need of major changes than with the Bridgeport Islanders, who set an unwanted AHL record with just four home wins this past season. Coach Rick Kowalsky has long been a Chris Lamoriello guy, having coached in the Devils system prior; under Lamoriello the Islanders have traded away their first-round pick four times, leaving the Baby Isles bereft of real talent. George, who played 33 games with the Islanders last season, was by far the most promising prospect in Bridgeport.

Outside of forward Alex Jefferies and a couple of other defensemen in Calle Odelius and Jesse Pulkkinen, there isn’t much there at all. Simply keeping picks (and maybe acquiring a few extras in trades for veterans) will eventually help the AHL club, but the Islanders have to make Bridgeport — performance, attendance, roster, marketing, you name it — a priority under Darche.

The brand

The Islanders focused on hockey under Lamoriello to mixed results. But Lamoriello’s way — no marketing of players, no viral social media moments, no distractions — coupled with a poor team in the UBS Arena era has left this franchise adrift. This is an opportunity; it doesn’t have to fall on Darche’s head to make sure the Islanders get some clicks and some new fans, but it does fall during Darche’s tenure.

Even if the Islanders don’t win right away on the ice, they have to become the kind of team that embraces this chance. The new GM has plenty on his plate already, but he has to help the Islanders build their brand and get noticed for the right reasons.

Holland turned down this job for several reasons, but one of them, according to a league source, was the enormity of the task. Darche isn’t shying away from that, which is good. But there’s a lot to do and the time to start was yesterday.

(Top photo of Noah Dobson and Ilya Sorokin: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)