3 turning points that derailed New York Islanders’ 2024-25 season ft. Lamoriello-Roy rift

The New York Islanders entered the 2024-25 hoping to build on their playoff appearance from the year before. The hiring of Patrick Roy turned what looked like a lost season into a decent regular-season showing.

While the Islanders were bounced in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, the hope was that the team could get over the hump in 2025.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. So, it’s worth taking a look at the three turning points that derailed the New York Islanders’ 2024-25 season.

#3 Barzal injury

The New York Islanders dealt with an unusually high number of injuries this past season. At various points, the team lost several starters. The injury bug got to a point where Roy had to dress Adam Boqvist, a defenseman, as a forward.

But the most significant loss was that of Mathew Barzal. Barzal was limited to 30 games in 2024-25. He went down early in the season, but returned in mid-December only to go down again for good in late January.

The loss severely hampered the Islanders’ scoring. The team couldn’t recover offensively, leading to one of the worst offenses in the league and a league-worst power play.

#2 Head-scratching decisions

Patrick Roy made his share of head-scratching decisions throughout the season. But there was one, in particular, that left fans trying to figure out what could have been going through Roy’s mind.

On April 10, the New York Islanders faced their crosstown rivals, the New York Rangers. Both teams were clinging to slim playoff hopes. The Islanders were practically out of the running, but were still mathematically alive. So, a win was a must.

Instead, the Islanders lost 9-2. Starting goaltender Ilya Sorokin was unavailable. That forced Roy to start backup Marcus Hogberg. His backup was prospect Tristan Lennox.

Late in the third period, Roy pulled Hogberg after the game had gotten out of hand. Lennox came in, faced two shots, gave up a goal, and was pulled. Hogberg came back into the game and finished out the clock.

The inexplicable moves led to a post-game apology from Roy. But the damage was done. The Isles were essentially eliminated from playoff contention following that game. But beyond that, the embarrassing decisions left fans wondering what the team had in mind.

#1 Lamoriello-Roy rift

Throughout the season, there was speculation that former GM Lou Lamoriello and Patrick Roy didn’t see eye-to-eye on a number of roster decisions. Apparently, Lamoriello didn’t agree with Roy’s vision for the club.

The rift spilled over into the media, forcing both Lamoriello and Roy to publicly state that nothing was going on between them.

The situation culminated with the Islanders moving on from Lamoriello. Roy remained as the team’s coach, but one has to wonder how patient the team will be with Roy this season.

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Edited by Nestor Quixtan