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Mathieu Darche

East Notes: Duclair, Marner, Marchand

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After being limited by injuries through much of the 2024-25 campaign, New York Islanders forward Anthony Duclair took a leave of absence from the team for the remaining eight games of the regular season due to a relatively public conflict with head coach Patrick Roy.

Still, in an interview with Andrew Gross of Newsday, new General Manager Mathieu Darche doesn’t believe Roy’s comments and Duclair’s leave from the team will have any long-standing implications. Gross quoted Darche, saying, “I have a little bit of a relationship with him. I did talk to him. He was in a good mood. We’re going to sit down, like I do with every other player.”

Darche went on to say that he’s hopeful Duclair will be ready for training camp in September. Regardless of his relationship with Roy, the Islanders’ front office will be expecting more from Duclair next season after scoring four goals and 11 points in 44 games shortly following a four-year, $14MM agreement with New York on the free agent market.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Being the only team that can offer Mitch Marner an eight-year term before July 1st, Cam Robinson of EliteProspects has indicated the Toronto Maple Leafs could entertain a sign-and-trade scenario with Marner this offseason. The motivation behind the idea would be for Toronto to recoup some trade assets for Marner, rather than seeing him leave for nothing. However, a sign-and-trade at that level hasn’t been recorded since the Calgary Flames signed and traded Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers in 2022 for Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar. Given that any interested team could sign Marner to a seven-year deal, without having to give up any prized players, means this scenario is highly unlikely to play out this summer.
  • A few days ago on The Chris Johnston Show, TSN’s Chris Johnston shared his belief that Panther Brad Marchand will get a raise this summer. Aside from the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, and the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, Marchand has played fewer than 70 games in one season since his sophomore campaign, showing a quality level of longevity entering his age-38 season. Coupled with his impressive run to the Stanley Cup Final with the Panthers that’s seen Marchand score seven goals and 17 points in 19 contests, Johnston believes Marchand will earn an AAV of $8MM on his next contract, albeit on a shorter-term deal.

Islanders Name Mathieu Darche General Manager

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2:01 p.m.: Darche has been given the title of general manager and executive vice president of hockey operations, the Islanders announced. Giving him a dual title suggests they won’t be hiring another person for oversight, at least not yet – Darche will report directly to ownership. Minority owner John Collins had the following statement:

Mathieu is the perfect choice to lead our hockey operations. 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. Mathieu has served as a key member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and has a diverse background in top-level business models. 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.

11:33 a.m.: The Islanders are expected to name Mathieu Darche as their new general manager later today, sources tell Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. The now-former assistant GM of the Lightning was one of two finalists for the role alongside Kings senior advisor and former Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin, per multiple reports.

Darche, 48, steps into the GM’s chair for the first time. He has some big shoes to fill, succeeding Hall-of-Fame executive Lou Lamoriello in the role after the Isles announced last month they wouldn’t be renewing his contract.

It’s a quick ascension for Darche, who’s only been in front-office roles for six years. After ending his playing career as an NHL/AHL tweener in 2013, he worked in the private sector before joining the Lightning, where he played a career-high 73 games in the 2007-08 season, as their director of hockey operations for the 2019-20 campaign. Darche kept the role until his departure from the organization today, although the organization added the AGM title to his duties beginning with the 2022-23 campaign.

The Quebec native has gotten plenty of experience as part of the management team of a perennial contender. He was involved in the Lightning’s three straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final from 2020 to 2022 and won on his first two tries. While playoff success has evaded Tampa in the years since, they’ve remained a consistent threat in a tough Atlantic Division and have navigated some seismic roster changes like the departure of franchise fixture Steven Stamkos, continually retooling to stay just young enough to extend their championship contention window.

Darche won’t be the only front-office hire the Islanders announce in the coming days. They’re also looking for a president of hockey operations to oversee Darche, hiring two people to replace the dual roles Lamoriello held. That could very well be former Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan, who’d been granted permission to interview with the Isles before Toronto announced they wouldn’t extend his contract.

He’ll be charged with steering the ship through a retool on Long Island that started in the final months of Lamoriello’s tenure. He jettisoned top-six staple Brock Nelson to the Avalanche at the trade deadline but gave their limited prospect pool a huge boost in the form of center Calum Ritchie, a star playmaker with OHL Oshawa whom Colorado drafted 27th overall in 2023, and a 2026 first-round pick. The lottery balls also bounced the Isles’ way to vault them from 10th to first overall in this year’s draft, giving Darche his pick between dynamic two-way defender Matthew Schaefer or star offensive center Michael Misa as the cornerstone of his retool.

Image courtesy of Eric Bolte-Imagn Images.

Metro Notes: Islanders, Capitals, Peca

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According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the New York Islanders are closing in on their next General Manager. Pagnotta did not provide specifics but mentioned that Mathieu Darche and Marc Bergevin remain in the conversation. Arthur Staple of The Athletic confirmed Pagnotta’s findings.

Neither name is surprising, as the Islanders reportedly gave both a second interview a few days ago. Still, as Staple notes, it could prove a hurdle if the Islanders hope to hire Brendan Shanahan. Yesterday, New York reportedly received permission to interview Shanahan. Although the Toronto Maple Leafs announced they will proceed without him, he may not appreciate that a General Manager was appointed before him.

Whoever is ultimately named the Islanders’ next General Manager will have an important task ahead of them in the coming weeks. Aside from the needed roster changes, the Islanders won the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery on May 5th, giving them this summer’s first overall pick.

Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:

Islanders Hold Second Interviews With Marc Bergevin, Mathieu Darche

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The New York Islanders have reportedly held second interviews with two general manager candidates. The first is former Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. The second is Tampa Bay Lightning assistant general manager Mathieu Darche, per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. Seravalli went on to add that Bergevin and Darche are expected to be the final two horses in the race for New York’s GM role.

Little has come out about the Islanders’ search for a new GM, but the final picture of the race features two very different candidates. Bergevin is among the most tenured front office staff in the hockey world, headed for the 20th anniversary of his first hockey management role this summer. Meanwhile Darche was hired in Tampa Bay just six seasons ago, and has only served as assistant general manager for the last three years.

That imbalance helps Bergevin’s resume look particularly bolded. He served 10 years as the Canadiens’ GM from the start of 2012-13 to the end of 2021-22. His tenure was headlined by six postseason appearances, including a flash-in-the-pan run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. Bergevin managed the careers of iconic Canadiens players like Carey Price, Max Pacioretty, Shea Weber and P.K. Subban – including the shocking trade that swapped the latter two in 2016. He also managed the draft warrooms that selected Artturi Lehkonen (2013), Mikhail Sergachev (2016), and Cole Caufield (2019).

Bergevin’s management of his stars, and his control over Montreal’s heap of draft picks each year, earned criticism as Montreal dragged into a decade with little significant postseason success. But his extended tenure, and recent advisor role with the emerging Los Angeles Kings, could entice the Islanders as they look to change GMs for the first time since 2018.

If the Islanders are willing to be a bit more flexible with their job requirements, they could find a candidate-with-upside in Darche. The 48-year-old has already won two Stanley Cups in his young managerial career, serving as Director of Hockey Operations while the Lightning won back-to-back Cups in 2020 and 2021. Darche was promoted to assistant general manager one year later, and has quickly built a reputation for lucrative contract management and negotiations. That could be invaluable expertise as he eyes an Islanders roster with three contracts north of $8MM.

The Islanders missed the postseason for just the second time since 2019-20 this season. Their GM hire will be quickly tasked with reversing those fortunes, with a roster that wields stars Mathew Barzal, Ilya Sorokin, and Bo Horvat; as well as the first-overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Both candidates have plenty of postseason experience, though their management careers are a competition of quality versus quantity.

Islanders To Interview Mathieu Darche For GM Vacancy

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The Islanders have received permission to interview Lightning assistant general manager Mathieu Darche to fill their GM vacancy, Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News and NHL.com reports (link from The Elmonters).

Darche has been receiving calls for GM roles ever since Tampa Bay’s back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021. He was a contender for the Canadiens’ in-season vacancy in 2022 before they hired Kent Hughes, and he was also considered for the Canucks’ vacancy in the same window. More recently, he was a finalist for the Penguins’ GM job two years ago before president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas decided to take over the role himself.

The 48-year-old Darche has been in the Bolts’ front office since 2019. He first joined as their director of hockey operations but had AGM added to his title ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. Working under Tampa GM Julien BriseBois, Darche has played a role in not only assembling the Bolts’ championship squads but keeping them in legitimate playoff/championship contention in the years since.

The Quebec native had a 250-game NHL career spanning parts of nine seasons as a depth call-up, mainly consisting of stops in Montreal and Tampa (although he was also a member of the inaugural Blue Jackets). His position with Tampa is the only front-office role he’s held since retiring as a player in 2012.

He’ll emerge as one of the stronger backup options to Hall-of-Fame executive Ken Holland, whom Arthur Staple of The Athletic said earlier this week is New York’s preferred candidate to succeed Lou Lamoriello in the GM’s chair. Other names firmly linked to their search so far include Kings senior advisor Marc Bergevin and Devils AGM Kate Madigan.

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