Darche: Hiring DeBoer 'like grabbing the No. 1 free agent'

Mathieu Darche shocked the hockey world Sunday by firing head coach Patrick Roy, but the New York Islanders general manager is thrilled about bringing in Pete DeBoer.

"It's like grabbing the No. 1 free agent on the market. Pete's an outstanding coach," Darche said, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.

Roy was let go with four games left on the Islanders' schedule. New York is currently one point back of a wild-card spot and the third seed of the Metropolitan Division. However, the Isles' playoff odds have dropped amid the team's 8-10-0 run since March 1, which includes an ongoing four-game losing streak.

The Dallas Stars fired DeBoer last June. He'd led the club to three consecutive Western Conference Finals prior to his dismissal. He was also a member of Canada's coaching staff for the Olympics in February.

"Once Pete was out there, without going too much into specifics, it really intensified (Sunday) morning," Darche said.

DeBoer said talks "came out of left field" and that he was drawn to Long Island for multiple reasons, including the opportunity to work with star rookie Matthew Schaefer.

"Honestly, I couldn't believe my eyes the first half of the year, what I was seeing from an 18-year-old. The maturity in his game and how dynamic he was," DeBoer added. "He was within a razor of being on that Olympic team at 18."

DeBoer has coached the Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, Vegas Golden Knights, and Stars across a 17-year career. He's lost two Stanley Cup Finals and owns a 9-0 record in Game 7s.