The New York Islanders have found their new general manager in Mathieu Darche, making a bold move to hand the keys to someone who’s never been a GM before.
At 48, Darche is stepping into some pretty big shoes. He’s taking over from Lou Lamoriello, a Hall of Famer who the Isles decided not to bring back last month.
It’s been a quick rise for Darche. He’s only been working in NHL front offices for six years, which is lightning-fast in the hockey world.
Before joining the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019, he actually worked in the private sector after hanging up his skates in 2013. Funny enough, Tampa was where he had his best season as a player, appearing in 73 games back in 2007-08.
The Quebec native knows what winning looks like. He was part of the Lightning’s incredible run of three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances from 2020 to 2022, bringing home the trophy twice.
Even after losing superstar Steven Stamkos, Tampa kept finding ways to stay competitive. That’s exactly the kind of experience the Islanders are hoping Darche brings to Long Island.
But he won’t be working alone. The Islanders are still looking for a president of hockey operations to work above Darche. Word is they might bring in Brendan Shanahan, who just parted ways with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Darche is walking into an interesting situation. The Isles have already started reshaping their team, trading away fan favorite Brock Nelson to Colorado at the deadline. But they got some nice pieces back, including promising young center Calum Ritchie and a future first-round pick.
And talk about lucky timing – the Islanders just won the draft lottery, jumping from 10th to first overall. That means Darche’s first big decision will be choosing between two potential superstars: defenseman Matthew Schaefer or center Michael Misa.
