Mathieu Darche was hired as general manager and executive vice president of the New York Islanders on Friday.
The 48-year-old replaces Lou Lamoriello. The Islanders announced April 22 that Lamoriello would not have his contract renewed as president and general manager.
“I am truly honored by the opportunity to be the New York Islanders general manager and executive vice president,” Darche said. “I’d like to thank (co-owners) Scott Malkin, Jon Ledecky, John Collins, and the entire ownership group for entrusting me with the hockey operations of this great franchise.”
Darche had been assistant GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning the previous three seasons, following three seasons as Lightning director of hockey operations. He won the Stanley Cup with them in 2020 and 2021.
The Lightning defeated the Islanders in the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each championship run.
“Mathieu is the perfect choice to lead our hockey operations,” Collins said. “He will be given every resource available to put the Islanders first-in-class on the ice, with our business initiatives, and in the community. Mathieu has served as a key member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and has a diverse background in top-level business models. He is a proven winner and is committed, as is our ownership group, to building a group that will be highly competitive next season and beyond.”
The Islanders (35-35-12) finished nine points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference this season. They had lost in the first round of the postseason the previous two seasons.
New York won the NHL Draft Lottery on May 5 and will have the first pick of the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft on June 27.
“With the Islanders owning the first overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft and preparing to welcome the Olympic sendoff at UBS Arena next season, there is much to which our franchise, our players, and our passionate fans can look forward,” Collins said. “Mathieu’s arrival adds to that momentum.”
Potential unrestricted free agents include forwards Kyle Palmieri, Matt Martin and Hudson Fasching, and defensemen Tony DeAngelo and Mike Reilly. Forwards Maxim Tsyplakov, Simon Holmstrom and Marc Gatcomb, and defensemen Noah Dobson, Alexander Romanov, Adam Boqvist, and Scott Perunovich each can become a restricted free agent July 1.
Prior to getting into management, Darche played nine NHL seasons as a forward with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Lightning and Montreal Canadiens, with 72 points (30 goals, 42 assists) in 250 games and three points (one goal, two assists) in 18 playoff games.
Lamoriello, 82, was with the Islanders for seven seasons. His 1,470 wins as GM of the New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs and Islanders are second in NHL history behind David Poile (1,533). Lamoriello’s 325 Stanley Cup Playoff games are most by any NHL GM and his 172 wins are second to Glen Sather’s 187.
