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Mathieu Darche gets dumped in New York

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated Apr 13, 2026 7:52 PM ET

With yesterday's loss to the Canadiens, the New York Islanders have officially been eliminated from the playoffs.

The club's end-of-season stretch has turned out to be a complete disaster on Long Island: the team lost six of its last seven games while fighting for a playoff spot.

And now, Mathieu Darche is being blamed for his team's poor results.

It has to be said: Darche's first year as GM of the Islanders didn't go as he would have hoped.

Darche fired his coach with four regular-season games remaining (and the Isles have lost two of three since Patrick Roy's departure), and he made some questionable moves during the season…

The additions of Brayden Schenn, Ondrej Palat, and Carson Soucy didn't help in the end. And Chris Botta, who has previously worked for the Isles and the New York Times, has essentially called out Darche in a post on X.

Here it is:

The #Isles' collapse and failure to make the playoffs is a tough look for rookie GM Mathieu Darche. It is the GM's job to get this right—not his assistants, not the pro scouting director, the fans, observers, or anyone else. This is also not about another failed Yzerplan or any…

— Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL) April 13, 2026

The good news is that Islanders fans have every reason to be excited about the future.

Matthew Schaefer, Cole Eiserman, Kashawn Aitcheson, Viktor Eklund, Calum Ritchie… These guys are young and should be able to help the team win games for a very long time.

Especially since the Isles can count on Ilya Sorokin, who is 30 years old and one of the best goalies in the NHL today.

Ultimately, we mustn't forget that Mathieu Darche is in his first year as a GM in the NHL. He'll make some good moves, some not-so-good moves… but he won't be able to make too many mistakes either, because his time on Long Island will be short-lived.

It's up to him to find a way to “redeem” himself. Because otherwise, he'll lose the trust of everyone within the organization… and that can't happen.

In a nutshell

– Note.

For those curious, ESPN's advanced schedule lists the tentative Stanley Cup Final dates as follows:

Game 1: Thurs, June 4⁰Game 2: Sat, June 6⁰Game 3: Tues, June 9⁰Game 4: Thurs, June 11⁰Game 5: Sun, June 14⁰Game 6: Wed, June 17⁰Game 7: Sat, June 20*

*if necessary

— Braylon Breeze (@Braylon_Breeze) April 13, 2026

– These are beautiful photos.

So grateful for your encouragement
We're so grateful for your encouragement pic.twitter.com/GnZCdSRqWO

— x – Laval Rocket (@RocketLaval) April 13, 2026

– That's crazy too.

Habs coach Marty St. Louis wore #26 because his favorite player on the Montreal Canadiens was Mats Naslund.

MSL oversaw Nick Suzuki, the first Habs player to reach 100 points since – you guessed it – Mats Naslund in 1986.

Time is a flat circle. https://t.co/wTfkwyEaSs pic.twitter.com/2eE7whGfMk

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) April 13, 2026

– I think so.

Are the Canadiens in trouble without Noah Dobson? pic.twitter.com/L1JRJeIGhh

— BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) April 13, 2026

– Yeah.

“People have been urging me to take a closer look at Evan Bouchard.”

In the latest 32 Thoughts, @sportsnetkyle and @FriedgeHNIC discuss whether Bouchard should be in the Norris conversation, playoff races, and more.

: https://t.co/wnvhiBIP5U

Presented by @ToyotaCanada pic.twitter.com/N6f5JyOUNa

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 13, 2026