Were the Islanders prioritizing flair over fit with DeBoer hiring?
The New York Islanders stunned the hockey world when they parted ways with head coach Patrick Roy and brought in Pete DeBoer as head coach, but is DeBoer the guy to fix their project?
While he has found recent success with the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights, his style might not fit with the Islanders. At least, not in the long term.
On the latest episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Steve Peters joins co-hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton to break down whether the Islanders made the right choice, and if the organization may have prioritized flair over fit with the new bench boss.
Tyler Yaremchuk: This is a line I used a lot at the NHL Trade Deadline, like, did they go for fit over flare? Did the New York Islanders maybe value flare too much here? And just wanting the name of Pete DeBoer?
Steve Peters: It’s interesting. I think there’s a recency bias. You forget why he got fired from Dallas, and I think that surprises me the most. I’m looking at it from a different perspective. And I know players get with these tough coaches who deliver hard-line messages, but it is starting to change. The shift in the NHL over the last decade has seen those guys start to fade out. I still think Pete DeBoer is one of those guys. I think he can be a tough guy to play for. So, going from Patrick Roy, who’s a tough guy to play for, and throwing in Pete DeBoer, I was expecting them to go for the players’ coach.
That’s what I expected for their next hire, to shift the focus from this, this intensity that I think they’ve just recreated with Pete DeBoer. Now Pete’s gonna bring in his own assistance. I think that will help. I think having more structure for this team will also help, as it’s not just a run-and-gun style; this is a message. This is, this is a one-to-two-year experiment for the New York Islanders, because I do think Pete DeBoer is who Pete DeBoer is. That’s how he coaches. You’ll get that bump next season, but it won’t be a long-term fix for the New York Islanders. I think he’s going to be a couple of seasons, try to get into the playoffs, make a run, and then I think you’re going to see the same thing, the same discussion, two years from now.
You can catch the full Film Room segment with Steve Peters and the Pete DeBoer breakdown here…