NEW YORK — Patrick Roy was fired as coach of the New York Islanders on Sunday, another late-season change in the NHL that comes with a team in the middle of a spring tailspin that has put their playoff chances in jeopardy.
First-year general manager Mathieu Darche announced the abrupt decision to part ways with Roy and name Peter DeBoer his replacement with four games left in the season. The Islanders have lost four in a row and seven of their past 10 games, going from comfortably in a playoff spot to needing help down the stretch in a competitive Eastern Conference race.
Roy is the second NHL coach fired over the past eight days. The Vegas Golden Knights fired Bruce Cassidy and hired John Tortorella on an interim basis a week ago.
DeBoer is taking the job full-time, fresh off serving as an assistant on Canada’s staff at the Milan Cortina Olympics. The 57-year-old has taken two teams to the Stanley Cup Final and most recently coached the Dallas Stars to three consecutive trips to the Western Conference final before being fired last year following their latest exit.
While the exact details of DeBoer’s contract were not immediately known, a source told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan the deal extends past this season – unlike Tortorella’s contract in Las Vegas, which is only through the playoffs.
The move was made because the team felt they were leaving Ilya Sorokin too exposed, and needed to shore up their defensive structure, a source said. Roy had two years remaining on his deal. DeBoer was still being paid by the Stars this season as he has one year remaining on his contract when he was fired.
Roy, a Hall of Fame goaltender, was hired by former GM Lou Lamoriello in January 2024 as a midseason replacement for fired coach Lane Lambert. Sparked by his arrival, the team made the playoffs that year and lost in the first round to Carolina. Regression has followed since.
Parting ways with Roy comes at crucial point for the organization. Rookie of the year front-runner Matthew Schaefer has been a revelation in his first NHL season at the age of 18, and several other top prospects are on their way.
Roy was in his second job running a team in the league, following a three-year tenure with Colorado from 2013-16 that included winning the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year and abruptly resigning in the middle of the summer.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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