The New York Islanders fired head coach Patrick Roy on Sunday, replacing him with Peter DeBoer. Roy, a Hall-of-Fame goalie, was the coach for 197 regular-season games. DeBoer was most recently the coach of the Dallas Stars, where comments about goalie Jake Oettinger ended his tenure. ESPN's Emily Kaplan says, however, that defensive effort around Islanders superstar goalie Ilya Sorokin was the reason for the change.
“On Islanders firing Patrick Roy with four games remaining: Heard NY felt they were leaving Ilya Sorokin exposed and needed better defensive structure. There’s more term than [John Tortorella Vegas Golden Knights] deal, so Isles are getting ahead of the cycle before someone else hired DeBoer this summer,” Kaplan reported.
Tortorella was hired by the Golden Knights last week but was only given a contract through the end of the 2025-26 season. DeBoer is under contract with the Islanders through the end of the 2029-30 season.
Sorokin has been sensational for the Islanders this year, ranking second in Goals Saved Above Expected league-wide, per MoneyPuck. But recently, he has been asked to do a lot more and seemingly hit his limit. But the issues may be personnel, with injuries piling up on the blue line.
The Islanders have been without Alexander Romanov since November and Tony DeAngelo for their entire losing streak. That has sprung Carson Soucy and Adam Boqvist into prominent roles, where both have struggled. Defending in front of Sorokin has been an issue, and it will be up to DeBoer to fix it.
The Islanders have four games remaining this season, all at home. That stretch begins on Thursday, when they play the Toronto Maple Leafs. But the biggest game of their season will be the next day, when they host the Ottawa Senators. DeBoer will be tested immediately, and there is something for fans to grasp onto and hope to see improved.
