The New York Islanders dismissed bench boss Lane Lambert and tabbed Patrick Roy as his replacement, the club announced Saturday.
Roy, 58, was most recently the head coach and general manager of the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts from 2018-23. He resigned from the position after winning the Memorial Cup last spring.
He was the Colorado Avalanche's head coach from 2014-16 in his only NHL stint as a bench boss. Roy won the Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year in his first campaign with the Avalanche, guiding them to a 52-22-8 regular-season record.
Colorado was bounced in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs that year, losing to the wild card Minnesota Wild in a seven-game series.
The Avalanche failed to make the postseason the following two seasons, leading to Roy's resignation in August 2016.
As a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame as a player, Roy is regarded as one the best goaltenders of all time. He lifted four Stanley Cups as a netminder, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP on three occasions. Roy also won the Vezina Trophy three times and was named a year-end All-Star in six seasons.
Roy reflected on his previous NHL tenure in June, admitting that he made "some bad choices" with the Avalanche and that the way he left the team made it harder to get a subsequent NHL gig.
Lambert was named the Islanders' head coach in May 2022 after spending time as the team's associate coach under Barry Trotz. The former had a 61-46-20 record as the Isles' bench boss but lost in the first round of the playoffs in his only full season.
The New York job was his first as an NHL head coach. Previously, the 59-year-old was an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals, both under Trotz. He won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018 before following Trotz to Long Island, where he remained until his dismissal.
The Islanders have lost four straight and six of their last seven.
Lambert is the fifth head coach to be fired this season, joining Jay Woodcroft (Edmonton), Dean Evason (Minnesota), Craig Berube (St. Louis), and D.J. Smith (Ottawa).
The Islanders rank sixth in the Metropolitan Division with a 19-15-11 record. New York is coming off a 4-3 overtime loss against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday and takes on the Dallas Stars on Sunday.
Mike Babcock is out as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets without serving behind the bench for a single game.
The 60-year-old resigned from the position Sunday, with associate coach Pascal Vincent taking over the role, the club announced.
"Upon reflection, it has become clear that continuing as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets was going to be too much of a distraction," Babcock said in a statement issued by the team. "While I'm disappointed to not have had the opportunity to continue the work we've begun, I know it's in the best interest of the organization for me to step away at this time. I wish everyone in the organization well in the upcoming season."
Babcock came under NHLPA scrutiny Tuesday when podcast host Paul Bissonnette claimed a player told him the bench boss had repeatedly asked players - including Columbus captain Boone Jenner - for their phones, scrolled through their camera rolls, and projected the images onto a larger screen.
The veteran coach denied doing so shortly thereafter, and Jenner said they simply exchanged family photos.
The league and the NHLPA looked into the matter and were initially satisfied with Jenner's explanation, as well as a similar one from teammate Johnny Gaudreau, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. However, the league and the players' union reportedly changed their minds when several of Columbus' younger players said they weren't comfortable with what happened to them.
Among the most serious concerns for the NHLPA was a meeting that occurred away from team facilities that included several minutes of looking through a phone, multiple sources told Friedman.
"This was a difficult decision on everyone's part, but one we felt necessary to ensure our focus remains on the players and the team's upcoming season," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement. "On behalf of the entire Blue Jackets organization, we want to thank Mike for his hard work and the professionalism he has shown in working together on a plan to step down."
Trades during the Stanley Cup Final are fairly rare, and ones involving notable players are even more infrequent. But that's what the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Los Angeles Kings pulled off Tuesday.
The Flyers dealt defenseman Ivan Provorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a swap also involving the Los Angeles Kings. Six players and three draft picks changed places in total, with some salary retention thrown in to balance it out.
The Blue Jackets came away with Provorov and no additional assets. The Kings sent goaltender Cal Petersen, blue-liner Sean Walker, AHL rearguard Helge Grans, and a 2024 second-round pick to the Flyers, who also landed a first-rounder (22nd overall) this year and a conditional second-rounder next year from Columbus.
Los Angeles is retaining 30% of Provorov's $6.75-million cap hit (leaving the $4.725 million), and the Flyers sent the Kings defenseman Kevin Connauton and farmhand forward Hayden Hodgson.
Here's how we believe each of the three teams fared in the trade:
Flyers
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There are two ways to look at a trade involving this many pieces: Quantity, and quality. From a quantity perspective, Philadelphia unquestionably fared well. The Flyers hauled in three decently situated draft picks, a pair of defensemen, and Petersen for depth in goal.
Gone from the organization are Provorov, Connauton, and Hodgson. They jettisoned Provorov's entire $6.75-million contract through 2024-25 as well as Connauton and Hodgson's pacts ($762,500 and $800,000, respectively) through next season. They took back Petersen ($5 million), Walker ($2.65 million), and Grans ($847,500). But aside from some key pending free agents they need to sign, cap space isn't a major concern for Philadelphia at the moment.
So how does it look for the Flyers quality-wise? Provorov's play declined last season, as the 26-year-old played all 82 games but collected only 27 points, his second-lowest total over a full campaign since he entered the league in 2016-17. His 23:01 of average ice time was his lowest since that rookie campaign, and he authored subpar underlying numbers as well.
Petersen struggled mightily in 2022-23, but he could benefit from a change of scenery, particularly on a team with lower expectations. Remember, Flyers No. 1 netminder Carter Hart had an atrocious 2021 season, but his last two have been better.
The Flyers are rebuilding, as general manager Daniel Briere said following the move Tuesday. Provorov's contract wasn't ideal for a rebuilding club, and they got numerous assets in return. None of the picks are particularly high, but the upcoming draft is a deep one that could still yield talent outside the top 16.
So any way you look at it, it's clear Briere and new Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones won the trade and helped the club position itself for improvement in the future.
Grade: A
Blue Jackets
Mitchell Leff / Getty Images Sport / Getty
The Blue Jackets are clearly looking to be competitive next season with the reported hiring of Mike Babcock as head coach, and they reinforced a putrid blue line with the addition of Provorov.
Provorov certainly struggled with the Flyers last season - who didn’t? - but he’s only a season removed from a 7.0 expected goals above replacement campaign. He hasn’t been a complete dud over his career, but rather a player who’s played higher in the lineup than he probably should.
After playing some of the toughest minutes in the league with Philadelphia, Provorov’s workload should be softened in Columbus. The Blue Jackets shouldn’t feel the need to force Provorov into a top pairing role with a sub-$5-million cap hit. It’s reasonable to expect his results to improve should he split the top assignments with a returning Zach Werenski, something that could be mutually beneficial to both players.
GM Jarmo Kekalainen noted Provorov’s durability, an element that shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s missed just three games in his seven-year NHL career. Conversely, Werenski hasn’t played a full campaign since 2018-19, and Columbus only had two blue-liners play 70 or more games this season.
Provorov’s been around for a long time, but he’s still only 26 years old. Columbus doesn’t commit significant cap space in the trade, either, with Provorov coming into town at just $4.725 million for two seasons thanks to Los Angeles’ retention.
The Blue Jackets have among the best prospect pools in hockey, so giving up the 22nd overall pick and a future second-rounder doesn’t hurt as much as it might for other teams.
The trade is a calculated risk that helps the Blue Jackets immediately, even if they’re a ways from contending. Columbus gets a second-pairing guy at a second-pairing cap hit for the acquisition cost of a second-pairing defenseman. As a team in desperate need of positivity on the ice, even if its aspect of the three-way deal is the lowest grade for us, it’s a solid gamble.
Grade: B
Kings
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This trade is addition by subtraction for the Kings.
Connauton and Hodgson - the two assets acquired by Los Angeles in the deal - are almost certainly bound for the AHL's Ontario Reign. Instead, the Kings get a positive grade here for the relatively minimal price paid to clear a notable amount of cap space.
Even while retaining $2.025 million of Provorov’s contract, Los Angeles frees up $5.625 million for 2023-24 by shipping Petersen and Walker to Philadelphia. The Kings already have maneuverability heading into the summer, but this move gives them the room to retain both Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo, in addition to the impending raise required for Gabe Vilardi.
To shed that much cap, Los Angeles only had to part with a 2024 second-round pick and Grans, a young, 6-foot-3 defenseman who was drafted fairly high, but who regressed in his second season in the AHL.
Walker is an NHL-caliber defenseman, but he was clearly the odd man out on the Kings’ incredibly deep right side. Los Angeles still has Drew Doughty, Matt Roy, Sean Durzi, Jordan Spence, and Brandt Clarke as right-handed options already under contract for 2023-24.
Creating that much cap space for such a little cost is quality business by Rob Blake and a promising start to the offseason for the Kings.
All four Eastern Conference first-round matchups are now locked in and just two are to be decided out West as the NHL's playoff picture has come into view on the penultimate day of the regular season.
The league-best Boston Bruins will face last season's Presidents' Trophy winners, the Florida Panthers, in a series beginning Monday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning will meet for the second straight year in a series that's been set in stone for weeks. The Leafs secured second place in the Atlantic Division, while the Lightning finished third.
The Carolina Hurricanes - who clinched their second consecutive Metropolitan Division title Thursday night - will battle the New York Islanders beginning Monday, who clinched the NHL's final postseason berth while eliminating the Pittsburgh Penguins from playoff contention on Wednesday.
The New Jersey Devils will meet their neighbors and bitter rivals, the New York Rangers. The Devils finished second in the Metropolitan Division, while the Rangers placed third.
Over in the Western Conference, the Vegas Golden Knights secured the Pacific Division title with a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday. They will face the Winnipeg Jets in a rematch of the 2018 Western Conference Finals.
The red-hot Edmonton Oilers are the second seed in the Pacific and will meet the Los Angeles Kings for the second consecutive year in the first round.
Still to be decided is the top spot in the Central Division. Should the Colorado Avalanche earn a point in Friday's regular-season finale against the Nashville Predators, the defending Stanley Cup champions would secure the division title and face the Seattle Kraken in the first round. The Dallas Stars would then battle the Minnesota Wild.
If the Avalanche lose in regulation Friday, Dallas will instead square off against the Kraken, while Colorado would meet the Wild.
