Russell’s Roundup: Darche’s Introduction; Cup Rematch & Rumors Fly

Yesterday solidified several things in the NHL. First and foremost, the New York Islanders formally unveiled Mathieu Darche as their General Manager here on Long Island. He’ll have to get to work right away. The Edmonton Oilers bullied their way through the Dallas Stars, who sure seem to need a major shakeup. Meanwhile, coaching vacancy rumors fly around as teams look to finalize their hires, all while the trade and free agent market are taking shape.

I still cannot believe that Pete DeBoer genuinely pulled Jake Oettinger last night, then buried him in the media afterward. I don’t know how DeBoer mends that wound if he’s staying, unless Dallas just wants to move Oettinger, which would be insanity.

In UBS Arena yesterday, everything was fantastic. The Islanders hosted a first-class event unveiling Darche, who charted the path ahead. Make no mistake, exciting times are ahead on Long Island.

New York Islanders:

Let’s not bury the lede. The Islanders formally introduced Mathieu Darche as their newest General Manager. In his remarks, he tipped his hand on what exactly he views as what his teams need to be. With eight words, he set a mandate out for the summer.

In hard and fast news, Darche did some expected housecleaning. He formally fired Bridgeport Head Coach Rick Kowalsky, stating there would be an entirely new staff. With the NHL Club, he announced the Islanders will keep Patrick Roy, but assistant John MacLean and Tommy Albelin were let go. We also received a good injury update on Bo Horvat.

Finally, we highlighted just how important Noah Dobson is to the New York Islanders. However, he’s not guaranteed to stay if his contract negotiations hit too many hurdles. There will be a massive trickle-down effect on the rest of the right-shot defensemen, regardless of if he stays or goes.

NHL News, Rumors, & National Hockey Now:

NHL.com: The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Dallas Stars last night to advance back to the Stanley Cup Finals. The game saw Edmonton deliver the fatal blows early, surging to a 2-0 lead so fast that DeBoer pulled Oettinger. Shortly thereafter, Jeff Skinner made it 3-0. Despite the Stars’ push, the game was over.

For those wondering, yes, the Edmonton Oilers did touch the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, one year after they did not do so.

Florida Hockey Now: Edmonton’s going to have company waiting. The Florida Panthers are ready for a rematch. They defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in five games on Wednesday, solidifying their place in the finals. It’s going to be a good one, folks.

TSN: Earlier this week, TSN put out their annual Top 50 Free Agents list. Old friend Brock Nelson checks in at #8, while the only current Islander to crack the list is Kyle Palmieri, checking in at #20. You can already guess which names are at the top.

Vegas Hockey Now: The top name, Mitch Marner, is already being publicly linked to the Vegas Golden Knights. Huh? What? How could they possibly afford him? Hannah Kirkell’s got all the answers.

Boston Hockey Now: Our old friend here, Andrew Fantucchio, reports: The Boston Bruins are closing in on a coaching hire. Things are getting interesting up in Boston.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Meanwhile, west of here, the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to trudge along in their coaching search. Dan Kingerski lays out exactly what the next Penguins coach must look like.