Former Montreal Canadiens forward Mathieu Darche is expected to be named the new general manager of the New York Islanders.

Mathieu Darche is expected to be named GM of the New York Islanders today, as per sources.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 23, 2025

The Islanders have been looking for a new general manager after firing Lou Lamoriello in April. Lamiorello had been with the team since 2018, and though the Islanders made the playoffs five times under his watch, it was quite clear the franchise failed to take a significant step forward.

Darche was not the only finalist for the job with a history in Montreal. According to several reports, former Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin was also among the last candidates being considered. Time heals all wounds, but given how Bergevin treated some of the most important legends in Canadiens history, finding another general manager job may prove to be difficult.

ON TOPIC: Former Canadiens GM Bergevin Mistreated Franchise Heros

Darche, on the other hand, quickly established himself as one of the smartest members of management around the NHL. He spent six years with the Tampa Bay Lightning, serving as the Director of Hockey Operations, as well as the Assistant General Manager in the last two seasons. In that time, Tampa Bay won back-to-back Stanley Cups (2019-20, 2020-21).

Mathieu Darche is one of the more refreshing names connected to the NYI. Contract/cap management are a real strength, will be interesting to see what he does outside TBL https://t.co/zdznfYku3C

— Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) May 23, 2025

Having served under Julien Brisebois in Tampa, we can expect Darche to use an aggressive approach to solve glaring issues, the opposite of how Bergevin addressed problems in Montreal. It remains to be seen if former Canadiens goaltender Patrick Roy will serve as the Islanders’ head coach for the remainder of his contract, but one thing is certain, Long Island is starting to have a certain Montreal flavour among their newly hired members of management.

Mathieu Darche spent parts of three seasons with the Montreal Canadiens (2009-2012), scoring 22 goals and 26 assists in 149 games. He retired following the conclusion of the 2011-12 season.