Pete DeBoer isn’t selling a fantasy in New York. He’s selling a fix.
The new Islanders coach isn’t talking about some sweeping miracle cure or a sudden leap built on hope alone. His message is much more practical than that: clean up the power play, stop bleeding high-danger chances, and the path back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs starts to open up.
Speaking with TSN on Friday, DeBoer laid out the problem in plain terms.
"[Making the postseason is] the plan, that's the million-dollar question," DeBoer said. "We're gonna go in and we've looked at some things from a coaching perspective that we want to fix. You're not making the playoffs with a 30th-ranked power play, and you're not making the playoffs bleeding high-danger chances like they did last year and relying on your goaltender that much so we've got to dive in and fix some of that stuff."
That’s the kind of blunt evaluation Islanders fans probably wanted to hear. DeBoer didn’t hide behind bad breaks or point to excuses. He went straight at the numbers that sank the team last season.
The power play was a major issue, one of the worst in the league and too often unable to cash in when momentum was there to be grabbed. And defensively, the Islanders leaned too hard on Ilya Sorokin, asking him to cover for too many dangerous looks against.
Those are not small problems. They’re the sort that separate a playoff club from one stuck on the outside looking in.
DeBoer did leave room for optimism, though, and it wasn’t empty talk. He pointed out that the NHL can turn fast when the right pieces are in place, and that surprise runs happen every year.
“I think five years ago there was two or three teams that legitimately could win, and I think last year showed with what Montreal did, the run they went on, the run Buffalo went on, that you can turn things around pretty quickly,” said DeBoer. “Some of these teams that you feel aren’t contenders can turn it around quickly if they have the right personnel.”
That’s the lane for the Islanders. Not magic.
Not a shortcut. Just a better power play, fewer chances against, and a structure that lets Sorokin be great instead of carrying the whole load himself.
It may not be enough to guarantee a playoff berth. But it gives DeBoer something real to work with - and a believable way for the Islanders to surprise people next season.
In Other News...
Islanders May Be Waiting Too Long To Trade One Veteran Center
The Islanders have spent the offseason weighing how to squeeze more flexibility out of a roster that still has a few useful veterans attached to meaningful cap hits, and the conversation around Jean-Gabriel Pageau fits right into that larger puzzle. His recent performance and the likelihood of a reduced role have made him a logical name to watch, especially for a team trying to balance present competitiveness with a cleaner path forward.
What makes the timing interesting is that the market may be friendlier now than it will be later, when a player with his profile is more clearly slotted into a smaller role. If New York decides to act while there is still demand, the payoff could be more than just financial breathing room, with the chance to add future assets and give the front office more room to maneuver as it reshapes the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Interest In Patrik Laine Says Plenty About Their Offseason
Patrik Laines unsigned status has become one of the more notable offseason lingerers, and the Islanders name surfacing in the conversation says plenty about how teams are weighing his fit. A fully healthy Laine still brings obvious upside, especially on the power play, where his finishing ability can change the look of a unit in a hurry. But with the market slow to develop and only a few clubs even loosely tied to him, the question has shifted from talent to how much a team is willing to commit for that kind of specialized scoring.
For the Islanders, the fit is complicated by a forward group that already looks crowded, which makes any real pursuit harder to see. The Kings have been the other club most credibly linked, though even that remains murky, and the longer Laine stays on the market, the more this starts to feel like a test of patience as much as roster need. What remains unresolved is whether a team will eventually step up with more than a low-risk look and give him the kind of opportunity his track record suggests he can still justify. [Read more 🡒]