Patrik Laine’s highly emotional debut at the Bell Center on Tuesday evening overshadowed the presence of the last Canadian giant behind the opposing bench, Patrick Roy.
Posted at 12:03 p.m.
The cameras were obviously not focused on the exit of the former CH legend towards the Islanders locker room, but on the new Montreal acquisition. With good reason.
It’s hard not to sympathize with Roy, who gets by with the means at hand within this organization doomed to failure in the near future.
Roy obviously made the right decision to accept the job in January 2024. He appeared to be on a blacklist since leaving Colorado in 2016. The Islanders were two points away from a playoff spot with a mature club, without being formidable.
And the coach got the job done, going 20-12-5 last season and making the playoffs before suffering a first-round elimination in five games at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Deprived of two pillars, first center Mathew Barzal and defender Adam Pelech, the Islanders were not a formidable opponent on Tuesday, even if the match was hotly contested. The Canadian, it must be remembered, is not a formidable opponent, either.
But if Patrick Roy were offered the opportunity to change places with Martin St-Louis, he would probably jump at the chance, despite the criticism leveled at the Canadian since the start of the season.
The Islanders are four points ahead of CH with a record of 9-10-7. But they are a team at the end of the cycle, unlike Montreal, which is still under construction.
Roy leads the oldest club in the National Hockey League. Its first three counters, Anders Lee, Kyle Palmieri and Brock Nelson, are 34 years old. Three of his regular defenders, Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield, are also in their 30s.
Centers Bo Horvat, 29, and Mathew Barzal, 27, represent the best assets on offense. The number one defender, Noah Dobson, whose contract will have to be renewed at the end of the season, is only 24 years old. Alexander Romanov, in a defensive pillar role, is 24 years old, and goalkeeper Ilya Sorokin, one of the best in his profession, has just turned 29 years old.
PHOTO CHRISTINNE MUSCHI, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Bo Horvat (14), Anders Lee (27), Noah Dobson (8) et Isaiah George (36), des Islanders de New York
But this core is not strong enough to aspire to the Stanley Cup and the succession is almost zero. General manager Lou Lamoriello has sacrificed several picks in recent years to strengthen his core.
Thus, the Islanders did not draft in the top 45 in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. These first round picks were used to acquire Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac, Alexander Romanov and Bo Horvat. Which isn’t bad either.
The next generation nevertheless suffers. Cole Eiserman arguably represents the team’s best prospect. He was one of the top scorers of his vintage in 2024, but was still available in 20e rank due to its multiple deficiencies. He has 13 points, including 9 goals, in 14 games at Boston University.
Otherwise, it’s pretty thin. Danny Nelson, Jesse Pulkkinen and Marcus Gidlof are not top prospects.
We should consider a change of boss, despite the illustrious career of Lou Lamoriello over four decades in the world of the NHL.
If we don’t want to rebuild, we should at the very least rejuvenate this club around Horvat, Barzal, Dobson, Romanov and Sorokin, a bit like the Washington Capitals and the Minnesota Wild did. But would that be enough to make the Islanders Stanley Cup contenders? To ask the question is to answer it.
We wish Patrick Roy better ammunition, if we give him time.
Flyers’ picks in 2025
Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Brière probably doesn’t want to wish bad luck on anyone, but he probably doesn’t hate seeing the Edmonton Oilers and the Colorado Avalanche struggling these days.
The Flyers got the Avalanche’s first pick in exchange for defenseman Sean Walker, and also to allow Colorado to offload Ryan Johansen’s contract. Edmonton gave up its first pick for 32e Philadelphia’s 2024 overall pick and thus drafted Sam O’Reilly.
If the draft were held today, the Flyers would pick at 16e (choix du Colorado), 17e (their own choice) and 18e (Edmonton pick) ranks. Such a rare scenario occurred in 2015 with the Boston Bruins, holders of the 13e14e et 15e choice. With disappointing results, it must be admitted.
If the Oilers do not recover, this transaction could have very negative effects. O’Reilly needs to be good. He is primarily known for his defensive qualities and his aggressiveness. With only 20 points, including 9 goals, in 24 games at 18 years old in the junior ranks in London, this production already suggests modest statistics in the NHL.
