NHL Quick Hits: DeBoer, Playoff Droughts & More -

John Torterella and the Vegas Golden Knights walked so Pete DeBoer and the New York Islanders can sprint (to the finish line). It sounded crazy a week ago when a coaching change happened so late in the season, yet a week later, and here we are again.

The Islanders were in a downward spiral, and like the Golden Knights a week back, the question was if a change was coming in the offseason, especially with a new general manager (GM) at the helm. It happened with only a few games left in the season, and it’s DeBoer of all names.

Why Now?

The moment Mathieu Darche was hired as the Islanders’ GM, the clock was ticking on Patrick Roy. Yes, Darche wanted to use this bullet wisely, and the reports for most of the season were that Roy and Darche saw eye to eye. However, Darche, like every GM, wanted to bring in “his guy” at some point.

The surprise is that it’s happening now. There are only a few games left in the season, and the Islanders are building for the long run, even if they were ahead of schedule and in a playoff spot this season. Darche didn’t make a splash at the trade deadline, and the team responded to it by playing uninspiring hockey.

So, Darche makes the move that gets a spark out of the Islanders. They’ve fallen apart down the stretch and are in a fight for a playoff spot. If there is ever a time to make a move to wake this team up and secure a spot in the playoffs, now is the time.

Why DeBoer?

There’s a good chance DeBoer isn’t available in the summer. With the way teams are turning over their front offices and their coaches, he could have been hired by next week. So, the Islanders and Darche had to snatch him up before it was too late.

But why would Darche hire DeBoer, considering the Islanders are still a young and rebuilding team, and his strengths won’t fix the team’s issues? The defense was a mess and left Ilya Sorokin out to dry most nights. DeBoer is an offensive-minded coach.

The best explanation is that this move injects life into the Islanders. DeBoer has an immediate impact when he joins a team. He brought the New Jersey Devils to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season behind the bench. He did the same with the San Jose Sharks. The Vegas Golden Knights went to the Western Conference Final, and so did the Dallas Stars in year one of DeBoer. So, bringing him in has that quick turnaround. On top of that, he unlocks players on the offensive end, which is ideal for Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal, and superstar defenseman Matthew Schaefer.

The Islanders might not be a complete team but they’ll be fun to watch at the very least. Plus, he’ll be a good benefit to Sorokin, that is, until he allows two quick goals in an elimination game in the playoffs (right, Jake Oettinger?)

The Year of the Playoff Drought Ending

The Buffalo Sabres playoff drought is officially over. And with that, the longest playoff drought in the NHL is snapped. Now, the longest playoff drought in the league belongs to the Detroit Red Wings, although oddly enough, they can snap that drought as well if they turn the season around.

With the Sabres in the playoffs, the casual hockey fan just imagines what playoff hockey will look like in Buffalo, a market starved for it. The fans have waited 14 years for this, and that first series, regardless of who it’s against, will be incredible to watch as a result.

The Sabres aren’t the only team ending a playoff drought. It’s been a theme of this season. The Pittsburgh Penguins are heading back for the first time since 2022. Yes, 2022 doesn’t seem like a long time but for a Signey Crosby-led team, it is. The Anaheim Ducks haven’t made the playoffs in this decade, and they look poised to end the drought as well. It will be great to see the Ducks back, especially since that fanbase is a sleeping giant type.

Then there are the Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, and Utah Mammoth, all eager to get in and bring their fans playoff hockey for the first time in a while. It’s sure to provide some great playoff matchups.

Quick Hits

Sunday was a fun day to wrap up the weekend. Whether it was kicking back and watching the game on Easter afternoon (or Passover for some of the folks out there), the day delivered with games that weren’t playoff games but felt like them.

The Detroit Red Wings battled back and tied the game at four against the Minnesota Wild. For a brief moment, the hockey world saw what playoff hockey would look like at Little Caesars Arena. Then, Kirill Kaprizov scored to net a hat trick and quiet the crowd. At least we’ll find out what the playoffs at LCA will look like soon enough.

Then the Flyers and Boston Bruins battled in a goaltending duel where goals were hard to come by. The Flyers pulled out all the stops to win that game, from Lauren Hart singing God Bless America to adding Tyson Foerster to the lineup to playing Porter Martone on the power play in overtime. It paid off when Martone scored the overtime winner.

The Flyers are now in the third spot in the Metropolitan Division and would face the Pittsburgh Penguins if the season ended today. That would be a great matchup and a good way for Crosby and Malkin to start another Cup run. After being a thorn in the Flyers side for 20 years, they can end their careers the way they kick-started them.

The Maple Leafs are beginning a GM search with Brad Treliving out. They insist that they aren’t rebuilding as much as they are retooling. The Rangers had a similar sentiment when they put out a statement earlier in the season. The point being, every team likes to say they aren’t rebuilding until they are the Vancouver Canucks and have no better choice.

The new coach bump for Vegas might be working in the end. Since Tortorella was hired, the Golden Knights have gone 3-0, including a decisive 5-1 over the Oilers on Saturday night. Maybe the coaching bump was all they needed.