Patrick Roy is bringing on another assistant.
Patrick Roy is bringing on another assistant.
Oh, how things can change in a matter of a week.
When New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello fired Lane Lambert and hired Patrick Roy last Saturday, assistant coaches John MacLean and Doug Houda were to remain.
When Barry Trotz was fired after the 2021-22 season, and Lambert was elevated to head coach, the Islanders never brought on a third assistant coach.
It was weird that they hadn't filled it over Lambert's tenure, and it seemed, at least last week, that Roy was going to fill that hole on the bench with someone close to him.
RDS's Stephane Leroux reported last Monday that Roy was adding Benoit Desrosiers to his coaching staff on the island.
Desrosiers, 35, served as an assistant coach in the QMJHL from 2021 through 2023 and spent the last five seasons working alongside Roy with the Remparts, winning a Memorial Cup in 2023.
Desrosiers was named head coach of the Gatineau Olympiques for this season, but it turned out that someone jumped the gun on a potential hiring, leading to the Islanders coming out with this statement:
So, it sounded like not an if but a when for Desrosiers to come aboard.
Well, it turns out that when could be as soon as after the 2024 NHL All-Star break.
Not relying on false reporting, the Olympiques have sent out a press release stating that Serge Beausoleil has taken over as the interim head coach for Desrosiers.
When we spoke with Roy before the break, he was asked if he was planning on adding a third assistant to his staff.
"That will be a Lou decision," Roy said.
We will await an official announcement from the Islanders, but it's looking incredibly likely that Desrosiers will be behind the Islanders bench rather soon.
You can watch Rosner talk Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York with co-host Sean Cuthbert live Sunday nights at 8 PM ET during the season on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter & Facebook.