Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello could have kept Lambert until the end of the season before bringing Roy aboard in the summer. But the in-season move, at the very least, allowed for Roy to evaluate the roster, which will pay dividends for 2024-25.

When New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello fired Lane Lambert on Jan. 20, the hope was that Patrick Roy's fire and energy could get the team playing to their potential.

Although the passion was there, and the team seemed to buy into what Roy was selling, the lack of consistency remained a significant issue, and the confidence of a primarily veteran group has dissipated. 

In 26 games under Roy, the Islanders are 11-11-4.

Despite some success here and there — going on a six-game winning streak to get back into the playoff race — they canceled that out by immediately losing six straight and seven of their last eight (1-6-1).

The Islanders won three of their first six games of that winning streak heading into the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline and Lamoriello decided not to add or subtract.

"[The team] said that they're playing the way they're capable of playing right now. We'll have to continue to do that," Lamoriello said a few days before the deadline. "As far as adding, if you can, you do. Are we thinking about subtracting? Absolutely not."

Flashforward a few weeks later, and the Islanders sit four points out of a playoff spot after a 4-0 shutout defeat at the hands of the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, with 11 games to go. 

We've learned a few things or confirmed a few inklings about the Islanders since Roy has come aboard.

Lambert, who was part of the problem for New York, was essentially pinned as the ultimate issue, but it's clear that the roster has flaws. 

The Islanders, collectively, lack the speed and aggressive nature needed to excel consistently in Roy's system.

The number of line changes Roy has made to the forward group since going behind the bench has shown us that the roster doesn't have enough for him, whether it's a missing piece in the top six or even in the bottom six.

Some players have excelled and truly grasped Roy's coaching. 

Although Mat Barzal has been averaging over a point per game the entire season, he's one of those players who bought into everything Roy was selling from the first practice.

In 26 games, Barzal has 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points. He had 12 goals in 44 games under Lambert, with 34 assists.

Brock Nelson, who has cooled off a bit, has nine goals and 15 assists for 24 points in 26 games under Roy after 20 goals and 16 assists in 45 games under Lambert. 

Bo Horvat rounds out the top three under Roy with 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points in 26 games, compared to 18 goals and 24 assists in 25 games under Lambert. 

Kyle Palmieri, who ranks fifth in points since the coaching change, has been the Islanders' most consistent forward, with 12 goals and five assists for 17 points after 11 goals and 14 assists under Lambert. 

Then we have some players who continued to struggle. 

Islanders captain Anders Lee has just five goals. 

Pierre Engvall, who inked a seven-year extension this summer worth $21 million, is not known for scoring with just eight goals and three under Roy, he has had issues grasping Roy's system, serving as a healthy scratch against the Carolina Hurricanes this past Tuesday.

That was the third time he's served as a healthy scratch this season.

Simon Holmstrom, who shines on the defensive side of the puck but has offensive potential, only has two goals in 25 games, and his struggles as of late to do his job had him as a healthy scratch on Sunday.

Forward Oliver Wahlstrom, who got nine games under Roy, hasn't played since Feb. 24, while defenseman Samuel Bolduc hasn't played since Jan. 27.

The top-four defenders for New York have struggled to be consistent, with Roy splitting up Alexander Romanov and Noah Dobson and playing them with Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech, respectively.

However, due to struggles, we've seen Romanov play with Robert Bortuzzo and Mike Reilly playing with Ryan Pulock over the last two games as Roy tries to find the best combinations.

Roy's evaluation period isn't just for his players.

The Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender had the ability to evaluate assistant coaches Doug Houda and John MacLean.

Houda, who is responsible for the defense (3.23 GA/GP under Roy) and the penalty kill (69.7%), has not had a great season, and who knows what his future is with Roy bringing aboard his Quebec Rempart assistant coach Benoit Desrosiers. 

MacLean, whose son Kyle has burst onto the NHL scene with New York and could be a key piece going forward, is responsible for the offense (3.04 GF/GP under Roy) and the power play (18%), has had an inconsistent season. 

Roy has a lot to think about over these final 11 games, and more if the Islanders defy the odds and find a way to qualify for the playoffs. 

Regardless of how this season ends, Lamoriello's decision to hire Roy when he was was a key move. 

The long-time general manager always says that if he can add someone to help the team get better now and in the future, that's always the goal. 

And that's exactly what he did with the Roy hire.

Roy's hiring hasn't ultimately moved the needle the way the organization would have expected and may have come a few weeks too late. 

Still, it brought a new sense of accountability and has allowed Roy --isn't going anywhere -- to establish his systems and evaluate the roster.

Lamoriello could have kept Lambert until the end of the season before bringing Roy aboard in the summer.

But just like Lamoriello did with Bo Horvat, he realized the importance of giving Roy a few months to learn, evaluate, and adjust instead of just giving the team two weeks in late summer to prepare for the 2024-25 season.

We do not know how much say Roy will have in roster construction this summer. 

Given that Roy brought his own system in, one would think that he'll have a say in what happens this summer so that Lamoriello can give him the players or type of players he needs for his system to flourish. 

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