Rangers rival names Mathieu Darche as new GM/Exec VP; no role for Brendan Shanahan in front office
Mathieu Darche was named the seventh general manager in the history of the New York Rangers’ biggest rival, the New York Islanders, on Friday. He was also given the title of executive vice president, and the Isles said he will manage all aspects of the team’s hockey operations.
“Mathieu is the perfect choice to lead our hockey operations,” Islanders operating partner John 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 48-year-old spent the past six seasons as director of hockey operations for the Lightning, adding the title of assistant general manager under GM Julien BriseBois in 2023. He was part of Tampa Bay’s back-to-back Stanley Cup championship teams in 2020 and 2021, as well as a third appearance in the Final in 2022, when they defeated the Rangers in a six-game Eastern Conference Final.
Darche succeeds Lou Lamoriello, who was informed on April 22 that his contract as team president and general manager would not be renewed when it expires at the end of June. The Isles were given permission by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday to talk to former Rangers star Brendan Shanahan about a front-office position. The Maple Leafs said Thursday that Shanahan’s contract as president of hockey operations, which also expires next month, would not be renewed.
Reports had indicated that Shanahan would not be hired as team president by the Islanders.
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Rangers rival decides that Mathieu Darche will be next GM of Islanders
Darche reportedly was heavily considered for the GM role with the Pittsburgh Penguins that ultimately went to Kyle Dubas in June 2023. He was also a finalist with the Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens, and has interviewed with the Chicago Blackhawks.
He takes over a team that missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season and finished sixth in the Metropolitan Division with a 35-35-12 record, three points behind the Rangers, who also missed the playoffs. However, he also gets to select the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft next month after the Islanders won the lottery. The Rangers will pick No. 12, after they swept the four-game season series and missed out on the winning ping-pong balls.
“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.”
The Lightning were 268-147-39 during Darche’s time with the team and made the playoffs in each of his six seasons with Tampa Bay.
The native of St. Laurent, Quebec, was a bottom-six forward who played 250 NHL games for five teams – the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Lightning and Montreal Canadiens. He finished his nine-year career with 30 goals and 72 points.
Darche’s best season came in 2010-11, when he had 12 goals and 28 points in 59 games with the Canadiens. He also helped Montreal reach the Eastern Conference Final in 2010.
He’s excited to have the chance to be in charge of an NHL team for the first time.
“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 Scott Malkin, Jon Ledecky, John Collins, and the entire ownership group for entrusting me with the hockey operations of this great franchise.”
Lamoriello, 82, was hired by the Islanders in May 2018. They made the playoffs in five of his seven seasons and reached the Eastern Conference Final in 2020 and 2021, losing to the Lightning each time.
Darche inherits Hall of Famer Patrick Roy as his coach. Roy took over in January 2024 and rallied the Isles to a playoff berth, although they lost their Eastern Conference First Round series to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.
But injuries and poor play kept the Islanders out of a playoff spot for the last four months of the season. Lamoriello appeared to throw in the towel when he dealt longtime center Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche for exciting prospect Calum Ritchie, a first-round pick in 2026 or 2027, and a 2028 third-rounder ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline, signaling the potential start to a rebuild. Forward Kyle Palmieri can become an unrestricted free agent July 1, and their best young defenseman, Noah Dobson, can become a restricted free agent.
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