Mathieu Darche explains the reasons behind firing Patrick Roy

New York Islanders made a significant organizational change on Sunday, announcing the dismissal of head coach Patrick Roy.

He will be immediately replaced by veteran NHL coach Peter DeBoer general manager Mathieu Darche sought to dismiss those claims.

“Patrick hasn’t lost the room,” Darche said, emphasizing that the decision wasn’t about player dissatisfaction. “Guys respected Patrick a ton. We just wanted to move forward given how things have been trending.”

The timing of the move raised eyebrows, as the Islanders only have four games remaining in the regular season. However, Darche offered insight into the rationale behind the decision. The team has suffered four consecutive losses and sits outside a playoff position, with a 3-7-0 record over their last ten games. Darche indicated that the urgency to act came from a desire to salvage their playoff hopes before it was too late.

He also revealed that once permission was secured to speak with DeBoer from the Dallas Stars, the hiring process accelerated rapidly.

“Once Pete was out there, without going too much into specifics, it really intensified yesterday morning,” Darche explained.

The change marks a critical attempt by the Islanders to reverse a late-season slump and secure a playoff spot.