Benoit Desrosiers

According to Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, the New York Islanders have fired assistant coach Benoit Desrosiers. Desrosiers was hired by the Islanders, along with Patrick Roy, partway through the 2023-24 season.

As Rosner noted, Desrosiers was particularly focused on New York’s play in the faceoff dot. The Islanders weren’t a bad faceoff team when Desrosiers was hired, but he was able to make them one of the best in the league. The Islanders were the best team in the faceoff dot in all situations during the 2024-25 season with a 54.9% success rate, and finished fifth this year with a 52.65% rate.

For his next role, it’s anyone’s guess. Given that he followed Roy from the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts to New York, it would make sense that Desrosiers will go wherever Roy does. Unfortunately, it’s not altogether clear if Roy will pursue a different opportunity this summer or remain with the Islanders as a scout. If he does, Desrosiers may seek a role with the Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, or Tampa Bay Lightning, each of which finished at the bottom of the league in faceoff percentage.

Additional notes from the Eastern Conference:

• Later this year, the Ottawa Senators are expected to finalize the purchase of land in LeBreton Flats from the National Capital Commission to eventually build a new arena. In an update from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, Commissioner Gary Bettman believes that the deal will be finalized, saying, “As recently as when I walked in here today, things are continuing on a positive track. I’m hoping that is an express track, as opposed to a long one.” Although the Senators are likely to purchase the property, it may take several years to build a new arena due to the numerous regulations that need to be met.
• Sticking with the Senators, Bettman also commented on his decision to return Ottawa’s first-round pick to them for the upcoming draft. The Senators had originally lost the selection due to not including Evgenii Dadonov’s no-trade protection when they traded him to the Vegas Golden Knights. In reversing his decision, Bettman said, “I thought it was important, particularly for other clubs, how seriously we take the processes of how you must comply with a trade. I was comfortable that some adjustment might be fair based on the due diligence and everything leading up to the transaction, without completely eliminating it. I thought it was fair under all the circumstances.”