Why did the Islanders fire Patrick Roy? New York replaces coach with Pete DeBoer just weeks before playoffs

As the NHL playoffs approach, teams have been willing to make drastic decisions, as the New York Islanders are the latest to make a coaching change. On Sunday, the Islanders announced they fired head coach Patrick Roy and replaced him with veteran coach Pete DeBoer. #Isles News: New York Islanders General Manager and Executive Vice President Mathieu Darche announced today that Patrick Roy has been relieved of his coaching responsibilities.

Peter DeBoer has been named Head Coach of the New York Islanders. — New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) April 5, 2026 DeBoer will not only coach the team for the rest of the season, but is signing a deal to be the Islanders' head coach for multiple years. New York is currently in the playoff picture, but is still fighting to secure a postseason spot.

Here's a breakdown of why the Islanders made this move. SN's NHL HQ: Live NHL scores | Updated NHL standings | Full NHL schedule Why did the Islanders fire Patrick Roy? While the Islanders currently hold the third playoff spot in the Metropolitan division, New York has lost four-straight games over the past week.

With four games left in the regular season, the Islanders have a one-point advantage over the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers in their division, along with the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings in the wild card picture. Therefore, New York decided that Patrick Roy was not the man to lead the team to the playoffs. The Islanders don't play again until Thursday night, but have four games in seven nights to end the season.