I would have been happy with either one but DeBoer feels like the right coach to get this team to the next level with the infusion of young talent at the doorstep.
So it looks like you like approve the move... cool. You guys watch more hockey than me, so I was going to ask your thoughts. I was pretty surprised at the timing honestly.
It’s certainly surprising but once Vegas did it it was a smart move to get out ahead of Roy’s inevitable firing and hire arguably the best coach on the market who would have been one of the first hires in the offseason.
The NHL is different from every other league in how often coaches of teams that are still in contention get fired in the middle, and even near the end, of seasons. I don't think there's any data that shows that it works out particularly well in general, but it's less shocking in the NHL than anywhere else. I think lots of people figured Roy would be gone after this collapse, but Cassidy was an obvious target, so them signing DeBoer instead is really the only potentially surprising thing. He's been a successful coach, but hasn't won a Cup, unlike Cassidy, who won a Cup with Vegas (after replacing DeBoer as coach, in fact). As I noted in my earlier post, while I don't think Roy distinguished himself as coach, I also don't think coaching was the problem with this team, but rather lack of offensive talent.
Well, everybody now has four games to play, and the Islanders find themselves three points out of both third place in the division and the second wild card, with two teams ahead of them chasing the second wild card. It's pretty much over. I have tickets for the game on Saturday, and a month ago I thought it could be a big game for playoff position, rather than potentially being the game in which they clinch missing the playoffs.
Any chance they have starts with running the table these last 4 games which won't be easy for this group. They do play the Sens so a regulation win over them helps if the Sens lose another. One more loss and it is definitely over. They have no one to blame but themselves for this losing four straight in regulation.
Although disappointing because they seemed like a lock for the playoffs just a month ago, missing the playoffs is probably better for this team because it eliminates the false impression of them being closer to being a true contender than they are. They overachieved all season on the strength of Sorokin and Rittich, but they were never as good as their record. That being said, I still agree with the Schenn trade; he will be much more valuable over the next two seasons than Lee would have been who we may have kept with a playoff berth and possible series victory. But now we have the coach, the goalie, the young talent, and some good veterans to compete next year with a more accurate assessment of the team that there are still major deficiencies to solve.
