When Jonathan Drouin was explaining the reasons why he chose the New York Islanders, one thing really stood out. And that was his answer when asked about the Islanders putting a cancer ribbon on first overall pick Matthew Schaefer's jersey at the 2025 NHL Draft:

Taking care of their players is nothing new for the New York Islanders.

Regarding complaints about former general manager Lou Lamoriello's handling of the roster and salary cap, his players always knew they could go to him for anything. 

Former Islanders forward Jordan Eberle shared a story on Spittin' Chiclets years ago about how he struggled to get his newborn baby's paperwork to fly back home to Canada amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

He called Lou, and a day later, Eberle and his family were able to get the necessary government documents needed to go home.

That's just one example of many, with so many of these stories never coming to light because Lamoriello didn't need the validation from them.

While there's no problem with that, marketing is hard to do when things are done in secret.

That's not to say Lamoriello should have shared every good thing he did during his tenure to entice free agents—the hope is that his players would do that for him—but what Darche is doing is out in the open for everyone to see.

And, as you can see, a player like Drouin saw that, and it was something that played a part in him signing with the organization.

That brings us to marketing in general.

Schaefer has been a tremendous asset for the Islanders in terms of marketing, with the fan base buzzing at the chance to see him don the Islanders sweater this fall.

Opening up development camp practices to fans, as well as bringing back the Blue & White Scrimmage, was a massive boost for the mental psyche of the fan base.

But, taking it a step further, players are being given the ability to let their personalities flow.

Schaefer was allowed to appear on Spittin' Chiclets and conduct a fantastic interview about his love for Long Island and his excitement for the future. 

Former Islanders forward turned MSG analyst Cal Clutterbuck has been appearing on the Fore Play podcast with superfan Frank Borrelli, discussing the Islanders honestly.

Ilya Sorokin, albeit in Russian, appeared on a show back home to discuss the Islanders. Alexander Romanov, who just inked an eight-year extension, took to social media to express how much it means to him to remain on Long Island.

This is not to say that Sorokin's interview or Romanov's Insta post is why the Islanders were able to land KHLer Maxim Shabanov, but it certainly didn't hurt their chances.

Tony DeAngelo, who wasn't allowed to tweet after signing with the Islanders last season, is back on the bird app. His latest post was him sharing how excited he was to be back with the Islanders.

Under Lamoriello, players were not allowed to appear on podcasts or in commercials.

Speaking of commercials, Mathew Barzal had one with Paul Bissonnette the year he won the Calder (2017–18). It never aired, and maybe it's just a coincidence that Lamoriello came aboard right around then.

Long Island is an amazing place to live and raise a family. They have great schools, great beaches, great golf, and you're only a train ride away from New York City.

But if the Islanders can't market all that enough—while also showing a commitment to winning on the ice—drawing free agents becomes a challenge, which it has been for a very long time.

Darche understands the power of marketing. Expect the players to be able to show their personalities more this season—go on podcasts, maybe be in commercials, be a part of community events during the season.

You look at all the dynasty players and how much they became one with the fan base, well, after their playing days were over.

You're seeing it with Thomas Hickey and Clutterbuck. We see it on the organizational side with Johnny Boychuk and Dennis Seidenberg serving as developmental coaches.

Matt Martin, who just announced his retirement, has been named special assistant to Mathieu Darche as he learns the ropes of what it takes to be a GM.

The fans love it all.

Islanders fans were willing to deal with Lamoriello's antics because the team on the ice was winning. But once the winning and playoff success came to an end—back-to-back first-round losses to the Carolina Hurricanes before missing the playoffs entirely last season—fans were done with Lou.

It's not that fans wanted things back to the way they were before Lamoriello, since that was an absolute nightmare, but fans wanted transparency.

And, boy, has Darche delivered that to a fan base that desperately, desperately needed it.

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