Benoit Desrosiers fills a need on the New York Islanders bench.
Benoit Desrosiers fills a need on the New York Islanders bench.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- This past weekend, the New York Islanders officially hired assistant coach Benoit Desrosiers.
The 35-year-old, who was the head coach of the Gatineau Olympiques, served as Patrick Roy's assistant for five seasons with the Quebec Remparts, helping to win the QMJHL Championship and the Memorial Cup in 2023.
On Sunday, Desroiers took part in his first practice with his new squad:
Desrosier really impressed Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello when the two met for the first time up in Montreal when New York battled the Canadiens on Jan. 25.
"The time I spent with him in Montreal, I was very impressed with his knowledge, his delivery, and his personality," Lamoriello said Sunday afternoon. "[He and Roy] have had success together and comfortability with each other in that area.
"It's a no-brainer."
Desrosiers will work in helping to clean up the defense and penalty-kill problems.
Following Sunday's practice, Roy was asked about the Islanders' recent hiring of his former co-worker.
"I think he deserves this," Roy said. "We've been working five years together. We won the Memorial Cup together last year, and he's young, but he's a smart hockey guy. He's gonna help us with face-offs. He's going to help us with the penalty kill. So, basically, he's an extension to our coaching staff.
"A lot of teams have like four coaches -- three assistant coaches and a coach -- so I think he's going to fit perfectly," Roy said. "MacLean and Houda are outstanding human beings and are easy to work with, and right now, I love the chemistry that we have, the exchanges that we have, and the talk that we have. We're not always going to agree on everything, but when we close that door to go on the ice, we are all on the same page, and that's the fun part of the relationship."
Desrosiers will be behind the Islanders' bench and not up in the press box.
The Islanders needed this kind of hire.
New York owns a penalty kill of 72.4 percent, the worst in the league. They have allowed 34.9 shots against per game, second-most in the NHL, allowing 3.33 goals per game, which is the ninth-most.
If the Islanders can't fix their defensive woes, they are going to have a mighty hard time not just making the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs but staying in the race.
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.