The New York Islanders hired Mathieu Darche as their general manager Friday, giving the two-time Stanley Cup-winning Tampa Bay Lightning assistant his long-awaited first chance to run an NHL team.
Darche was named executive vice president and GM and put in charge of the organization’s hockey operations department.
“Mathieu is the perfect choice to lead our hockey operations,” said co-owner John Collins, who ran the GM search. “He will be given every resource available to put the Islanders first-in-class on the ice, with our business initiatives and in the community.”
Darche joins the Islanders after spending the past six seasons with the Lightning, who never missed the playoffs during his tenure. He got his name engraved in the Cup in 2020 and ’21 as director of hockey operations and also worked directly for Tampa Bay GM Julien BriseBois over the past three years.
“Mathieu has served as a key member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and has a diverse background in top-level business models,” Collins said. “He is a proven winner and is committed, as is our ownership group, to building a group that will be highly competitive next season and beyond.”
The 48-year-old former player was considered the top NHL assistant who had not been GM in the league. Darche beat out more experienced executive Marc Bergevin for the job. He succeeds Lou Lamoriello in the role after the 82-year-old longtime executive’s contract was not renewed.
Darche played 268 regular-season and playoff games from 2001-12 as a winger with Columbus, Nashville, San Jose, Tampa Bay and Montreal. The Quebec native left hockey for a few years before moving to Tampa to begin working for the Lightning.
Taking over the Islanders, Darche starts with the No. 1 pick in the draft thanks to their unexpected lottery win and more than $25 million in salary cap space to use to inject some high-end talent into a roster lacking it. They traded center Brock Nelson at the deadline in March and missed the playoffs for the second time in four years.
“With the Islanders owning the first overall pick in the upcoming NHL draft and preparing to welcome the Olympic sendoff at UBS Arena next season, there is much to which our franchise, our players, and our passionate fans can look forward,” Collins said. “Mathieu’s arrival adds to that momentum.”
Darche inherits coach Patrick Roy, a Hall of Fame goaltender who has established himself as a fiery and effective voice behind the bench. He has been in charge on Long Island since Lamoriello hired him as a midseason replacement in January 2024, and Roy led a turnaround that season to get into the playoffs.
“I am truly honored by the opportunity,” Darche said. “I’d like to thank Scott Malkin, Jon Ledecky, John Collins, and the entire ownership group for entrusting me with the hockey operations of this great franchise.”
With 2023 All-Star and Vezina Trophy finalist goalie Ilya Sorokin signed long term and a reliable core of veterans around, the next step is drafting, developing and attracting more players who can bring offense. Only four teams scored fewer goals than the Islanders this past season.
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