Patrick Roy’s head coaching tenure with the New York Islanders is filled with promise and upside. He took over halfway through the 2023-24 season and willed the team to the playoffs by leading them to a 20-12-5 record down the stretch. Now, the hope is that Roy, with a full offseason to prepare, can help the Islanders take a big step forward and finish near the top of the Eastern Conference in 2024-25.
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He’s not like other coaches as he brings an energy and passion behind the bench unmatched by others. While the longest-tenured coaches in the NHL are more reserved — notably Jon Cooper, Mike Sullivan, and Jared Bednar — Roy can learn from all of them. Cooper and Sullivan in particular can provide some lessons for Roy as he hopes to take a middling Islanders’ team to the next level.
Getting the Most Out of the Roster
It’s a cliche about great coaches that they get the most out of their rosters. It couldn’t be more true about championship teams. When the Pittsburgh Penguins won back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017 and the Tampa Bay Lightning did the same in 2020 and 2021, they saw depth players overachieve and put the team over the top.
It’s partially a reflection of good moves made by a front office as they find hidden gems who make significant impacts despite minimal roles. However, teams that have multiple players stepping up and doing so on more than one occasion are well-coached; they have someone behind the bench who knows how to get the most out of every type of skater.
Roy must find ways to use the Islanders’ roster depth to his advantage. Last season, depth was weak but on an individual level, there are some skaters Roy can utilize properly to make depth a strength. Simon Holmstrom has a quick shot and when he has space to operate and can find the back of the net. Alexander Romanov is a hard-hitting defenseman who is willing to block shots and play in the dirty areas. Kyle MacLean is a fourth-line forward with speed. The key is for Roy to allow them to utilize their skill sets and make a difference in every game.
Balancing Star Players
The common knock on Cooper and Sullivan is that they are good coaches but their stars bail them out. The Lightning have Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Victor Hedman (plus the recently signed Jake Geuntzel) to compensate for any issues the team has. The Penguins had Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang (plus a younger…
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