Islanders fire Roy, hire DeBoer with four games to play
The New York Islanders fired head coach Patrick Roy with four regular-season games remaining. General manager Mathieu Darche named Peter DeBoer as replacement. The move occurs as the Islanders hold a tenuous playoff position.
DeBoer, dismissed by the Dallas Stars in June 2025, takes over after sitting out the season. He served on Jon Cooper’s Team Canada staff at the Milan Cortina Olympics earlier this year. DeBoer holds a career record of 662-447-152 across 1,261 regular-season games with five NHL teams: Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, Vegas Golden Knights and Stars.
The Islanders entered Sunday on a four-game losing streak and seven losses in their last 10 games. They sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 89 points, one point ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets, both at 88. Roy’s final game produced a 4-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, who outshot New York 40-16.
The Islanders, who missed the playoffs the previous two seasons, hold DeBoer beyond this year. The Vegas Golden Knights also changed coaches recently, firing Bruce Cassidy and hiring John Tortorella on an interim basis; Vegas leads its division third spot by five points over the Los Angeles Kings with 86 points.
