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Will Patrick Roy Seek More Player Control as Islanders Head Coach?

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Karine Hains | Last updated 5/2/24

When Patrick Roy was hired as the New York Islanders’ new head coach in January, he was sporting a lustrous and luxurious beard. It was gone in the wink of an eye out of respect for general manager Lou Lamoriello’s facial hair policy. It makes me wonder if Roy will be as quick to agree with all of the GM’s decisions. Lamoriello decided to stand pat at the trade deadline, but after the Isles were eliminated in five games by the Carolina Hurricanes in Round 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s obvious the roster was not good enough.

Lamoriello is a special kind of general manager. A former high school math teacher, he eventually moved to Providence College, where he turned his first team into champions. Years later, he is well respected and still likes to do things his way. That’s probably why he ignored the critics in the run-up to the deadline and put all his chips on a new head coach and an aging roster. While the team made the playoffs, Lamoriello wants more; he wants championships, and he wants results just like he achieved in New Jersey with the Devils.

Roy’s Experience

It’s hard to forget that when Roy quit his coaching and vice president of hockey operations positions with the Colorado Avalanche, he stated he wasn’t on the same page as the organization. Roy wanted a say in the decisions impacting the team’s performance. In other words, he wanted a say in player personnel decisions.

Roy only had one NHL coaching job before he joined the Islanders but wore many hats with the Quebec Remparts. He was the head coach, general manager, and president of hockey operations. It has been almost eight years since he left the Avalanche in August 2016 and since then, he got exactly that kind of power with the Remparts. He’s learned the ropes of being a GM and a president of hockey operations, so why would he only want to have a say as head coach?

When Geoff Molson decided to clean house in Montreal in 2021 by firing Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin, Roy was very vocal about wanting to be his former team’s GM. At the time, he told the media he would be fine working in the front office with vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton. But Roy was beaten out by Kent Hughes.

There was also speculation that he would become GM of the Ottawa Senators, but that didn’t happen either, and he also failed to land a coaching job.

Will Roy Have an Impact on Player Personnel Decisions Going Forward?

In an interview with Dave Stubbs in June 2023, Roy mentioned it was hard for him to get a job because of how he left the Avalanche. He was also quoted as saying he understood that you can’t be management and coach a team at the same time. He said these words not even a year ago, but his situation has changed since then.

He’s now the Islanders’ coach and even though they have made the playoffs for the last two seasons, the core Lamoriello committed to fell at the first hurdle both times. Cal Clutterbuck, 36, and Matt Martin, 34, are not signed for next season, and they’ll be unrestricted free agents (UFA). Kyle Palmieri and Brock Nelson will be UFAs at the end of next season. No matter how passionate he is, Lamoriello isn’t getting any younger at 81 years old, and eventually, he’ll have to step down. Perhaps now is the time to give the team a new identity.

If Roy was brought in to be head coach with the expectation that he would take on the role of GM when Lamoriello steps down, it’s hard to see him not having a say in what the Islanders will look like next season. Matthew Barzal, Bo Horvat, Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech and Ilya Sorokin are all signed long-term, but there are plenty of complementary pieces that could be added to complete the roster.

Since he was hired, Roy brought in Benoit Desrosiers as an assistant coach, a man he worked with for five seasons in Quebec and with whom he won the Memorial Cup in 2022-2023. I wouldn’t be surprised if the plan is for Roy to eventually become GM and Desrosiers to move into the head coaching position. In such an important offseason for the Islanders, I think Roy will have a voice at the table when it comes to player personnel decisions.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

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