The Islanders big deadline acquisition came on Jan. 20, when general manager Lou Lamoriello made a coaching change, bringing aboard Patrick Roy.
The Islanders big deadline acquisition came on Jan. 20, when general manager Lou Lamoriello made a coaching change, bringing aboard Patrick Roy.
The New York Islanders decided to stand pat at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline.
It shouldn't come as a shock, given the lack of salary-cap space and the way the Islanders are playing, riding a five-game winning streak into Sunday's game against the Anaheim Ducks.
"Everybody knows Lou. If there's something there that makes us a better team, I'm sure he would have done it," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said. "But at the same time, the players put him in a tough spot because, I mean, they're playing so well, and you don't want to break that chemistry now. Chemistry is a very important thing. So the players deserve a lot of credit for what they've been doing."
But let's be real.
The Islanders' big deadline acquisition came on Jan. 20, when general manager Lou Lamoriello made a coaching change, bringing aboard Roy.
The Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender hadn't coached in the NHL since the 2015-16 season but had done well in his second stint with the Quebec Remparts, winning the QMJHL Championship along with the Memorial Cup last season.
"I've certainly watched Patrick not only as a player but also when he coached in Colorado," Lamoriello said after hiring Roy. "His presence is extremely impressive. And what he has done recently with reference to going back to junior, the success he's had, and how he developed players has always been behind my mind. And when the opportunity was there, after a conversation, I thought he was the right person.
"He's firey. He loves the game. He's got a passion for both, and I think it's great. I think it's going to be great for our players."
Roy thought he'd return to the NHL quicker when he left Colorado, but it allowed him to grow as a coach in juniors.
"When I left Colorado, I thought the phone would ring faster, but it did not, and I understood that the way I left Colorado was probably not the best way to do things," Roy said. "But I'm proud of taking the time to go back to junior, working with those guys, learning, kind of resource myself in the game, and making sure that I stay on top of that different culture because the player of today, it's different than what it was in my times and then it changed in you have to adjust to the younger guys.
"So, I'm very happy that I did this. And I'm very happy that I received this call."
It may have taken some time to see results, but it looks like Roy and the Islanders are a match made in heaven.
From the first practice with the Islanders, Roy had his new player singing a new tune. They were more disciplined. They were more structured. They moved like a team.
They had a newfound sense of belief, and they would need that mental toughness to turn their season around after hope seemed to be dwindling.
In Roy's first week, the Islanders showed clear progression but the execution wasn't there just yet, going 1-2-1.
Following the 2024 NHL All-Star break, the Islanders came out hot, winners of two straight over the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning, before two disappointing results against the Calgary Flames and Seattle Kraken.
Add in the outdoor loss to the New York Rangers at Metlife Stadium, and things were still looking bleak, with three straight losses.
While it wasn't pretty, Roy's Islanders snapped their skid against the Pittsburgh Penguins but followed up that overtime win with two straight losses, leading to a lineup change ahead of their matchup against the elite Dallas Stars on Feb. 26.
Roy elected to keep Brock Nelson on the top line and alter his lineup after a test run in a 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Since then, the Islanders have been playing their best hockey of the season.
Winners of five straight games, they are now two points back of a wild-card spot, with third place in the Metropolitan Division within striking distance.
"The way the team has been responding in the last, what, month, even if we didn't win all the time, I feel like the guys have been very receptive, and I think we've been putting down some seed," Roy said. "Now, we start to see it grow and sometimes it's the patience. We wanted it green right away, but unfortunately, that's now how it works."
Roy's ability to connect with Islanders' players has them playing the right way, and like Lamoriello always says, if he can get someone to help the team win now and in the future, he'll do so.
And he's certainly done that with the hiring of Roy.