Pete DeBoer’s earliest work is often his best work.
He went to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final in his first season with the Devils. His first season in San Jose ended in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. DeBoer landed in Las Vegas in 2019 and led the Golden Knights to the conference finals. He followed the same script in Dallas, leading the Stars to the conference finals in 2023.
It will be another six months before his first full season with the Islanders begins, but DeBoer’s disappointing first week with the team — losing two of three games to cap a collapse that will keep the Islanders out of the postseason for the second straight year — has provided the coach with unusual insight into his new roster.
“I can tell you we’re gonna be way ahead [next season], I’m gonna be way ahead of where I would’ve been had I come in in the summer, for sure,” DeBoer said following Sunday’s loss to Montreal. “Is it enough time to have all the answers? No, [but] I’ve got a lot more answers than I would have showing up here in training camp without having this experience with this group. So I’m excited to start fresh and have a camp and get to work with them.
“We want to finish this off the right way on Tuesday. There’s some exciting pieces here but there’s no doubt we have a lot of work left to do.”
The Islanders (43-33-5) will conclude their regular season Tuesday night against the Hurricanes at UBS Arena, having fumbled a seemingly secure postseason spot by losing six of their past seven games.
On Sunday, the players were still absorbing the death of a once-promising season. But the writing has been on the boards since Patrick Roy was fired and DeBoer was hired with four games remaining in the regular season.
In the aftermath, first-year general manager Mathieu Darche said the stunning switch was made to grab “the No. 1 free agent on the market,” with far more in mind than the final four games.
In the season finale, DeBoer would like to “see as many guys as possible,” potentially opening the door for 19-year-old forward Victor Eklund — the 16th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft — to make his debut with the Islanders after producing nine points (two goals, seven assists) in seven games with AHL Bridgeport.
Other call-up candidates include veteran winger Matt Luff — who was acquired in the trade for Brayden Schenn — Adam Beckman and former first-round pick Liam Foudy, as well as 22-year-old defensemen Isaiah George and Long Island native Marshall Warren.
“The more guys I can see in game action that are potentially part of this going forward, I think that’s important,” DeBoer said.
Two weeks ago, it would have been unthinkable for the Islanders season to end with 60 or so meaningless minutes. Two days ago, they still believed they could sneak into the bracket.
But the DeBoer era has just begun.
“You always learn something when you’re playing games this late in the season that matter,” DeBoer said. “When the lights go out on a season, it’s never easy after you put in that kind of time, particularly the journey they were on, the spot they were in and where they are now. I feel for them … We know we’ve got a lot of work to do here, but there’s a lot of good things, too.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
