Mathieu Darche constantly works the phones to see if he can improve the Islanders. But the first-year general manager is so far satisfied with the organizational depth as injuries mount.
And there’s less urgency to bolster the depth up front as Darche said third-line center Jean-Gabriel Pageau (upper body), listed as week to week, may only miss two to three weeks.
“I’m very comfortable with giving the guys we have a chance,” Darche said before the Islanders continued a seven-game homestand against the Bruins on Wednesday night at UBS Arena.
“But my job is to always look and if we have options to improve the team, I’ll do it. But there’s always a cost to anything you do.”
Both defenseman Alexander Romanov (right shoulder/injured reserve) and Pageau were hurt in the past week.
Romanov is out five to six months – Darche said he would miss the rest of the regular season – with seventh defenseman Adam Boqvist taking his spot on the third pair. Travis Mitchell was recalled from the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport on Wednesday to serve as the extra blue-liner after Laurel Hollow’s Marshall Warren was returned to Bridgeport on Monday.
But Darche said Pageau is expected to play before Christmas.
“When we say week to week, it’s because it’s longer than day to day,” Darche said. “But it’s not month to month, either. We’ll see how it progresses but I would suspect two to three weeks at the most, if not sooner. There’s no surgery. It’s just healing an old injury.”
Overall, Darche said he’s been pleased with the Islanders’ progress. After starting 0-3-0, they’ve played exciting, winning hockey as they’ve launched themselves into the thick of the Metropolitan Division playoff chase. They recently completed a 6-1-0 road trip that tied the franchise record for most wins on one trek.
Matthew Schaefer has made a positive impact as an 18-year-old defenseman with his elite skating and playmaking ability.
But Darche said the improvement is team wide.
“Our defensive game has really improved the last few weeks,” Darche said. “You saw it on the trip. At the beginning of the year, we changed the system so there was some adjustment for a lot of players.
“There’s still work to do. I like the confidence of our players right now.”
Coach Patrick Roy made the same assessment.
“Confidence is a very important thing,” Roy said. “And, right now, it seems like we’re playing with a lot of confidence. Even the last two practices, the guys are having joy coming to the rink.”
Solid goaltending from Ilya Sorokin and free-agent pickup David Rittich has anchored that confidence in the ongoing absence of Semyon Varlamov (knee), who has not played since Nov. 29, 2024.
Varlamov, 37, in the third season of a four-year, $11 million deal, continues to work on his own. Darche said there was no timeline for his potential return.
“It’s going to sound like I don’t have an answer but it’s the same as it’s been,” said Darche when asked whether Varlamov would miss the rest of this season. “He’s progressing. He’s taking some shots with the goalie coach [Sergei Naumovs] but very controlled. He’s making every effort so there’s no regret at the end. It’s a big rehab.”
Darche signed Rittich, 33, to a one-year, $1 million deal after he went 16-14-2, with a 2.81 goals-against average and an .887 save percentage for the Kings last season. He’s 6-2-0 with a 2.59 GAA and a .905 save percentage for the Islanders.
Said Darche, “Whether Sorokie is in net or Dave is in net, we feel very confident before the game starts.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.