Mathieu Darche Gives Updates Ahead of 2026-27 Season Opener

New York Islanders General Manager and EVP Mathieu Darche spoke to reporters on Wednesday morning ahead of the team’s season opener in Toronto. See below for highlights from his availability.

Mathew Barzal to Start Skating Soon

Mathew Barzal is expected to start skating this weekend, or early next week, per Darche.

The Islanders GM said the next step will be monitoring the inflammation in his knee after he skates, but Darche is optimistic that Barzal will be able to get up to speed quickly. The Islanders center has not skated in the past two weeks and missed the team’s Training Camp.

“We felt that last week he's had really, really good progress,” Darche said. “Barzal is not a guy that needs three weeks to get ready… You give him a few practices and he’ll be good to go.”

Darche on Logan Stanley Signing

The GM shared his thought process on signing Logan Stanley to a one-year deal on Sunday.

The decision was made in part by Matthew Schaefer moving from the left side to the right side on the blue line. That opened up a spot on the left side alongside Tony DeAngelo and the team’s preference was to have a lefty instead of asking a right-handed d-man to play his off side.

There’s also Stanley’s physicality and willingness to drop the gloves. The 6’7, 231-lbs. defenseman has 24 NHL fights (23 regular season, one postseason) on his resume.

“We felt it was a better fit,” Darche said. “You also look at the truculence, a lot of it has shifted to the East this year. With Matthew on the team and another young guy like Eklund, we want to make sure that we can handle some of that.”

Eiserman and Aitcheson had “Extremely Positive” Camp

Darche was happy with what he saw from Cole Eiserman and Kashawn Aitcheson during camp.

“It was an extremely positive camp for both of them,” Darche said.

The GM said that Eiserman and Aitcheson will benefit from time in the American Hockey League, being every day players instead of coming in and out of the lineup at the NHL level.

“They both showed that they need time, right?” Darche said. “So, is that time going to be in a month, two months later after Christmas or next year? We don't know, but let's see how they go. They left a great impression. That's why they played so many games in preseason.”

Eiserman especially made an impression on Darche in terms of his year-over-year growth.

“When I saw Cole play at BU last year, I felt there was things he needed to work in his game,” Darche said. “He’s an elite shooter, but he was waiting for the puck lot at BU. We challenged him when he went to Bridgeport at the end of the year. Like now he's forechecking.”

Defensive “Habits To Break”

Darche also touched on the Islanders transition to Pete DeBoer’s style of play, especially in the defensive zone.

“There's habits to break in the way we were defending,” Darche said. “As soon as we get stuck in our zone, we get tied into man-on-man, and that's not what we want. There'll be some adjustment, but I'm confident the guys will get it quick.”

DeBoer said it took the San Jose Sharks till about Christmas to fully execute his system when he arrived in 2015-16, so neither he nor Darche are expecting it to be fully baked on Wednesday night. Darche said it takes time to establish that sort of consistency and change the muscle memory, but he’s been happy with what he’s seen in video sessions with the coaching staff and the team.

Holmstrom Getting Opportunity

Darche said Simon Holmstrom has an opportunity to take a step forward offensively by starting the season the top line with Bo Horvat and Kyle Palmieri.

“The last two years, he basically scored 20 goals, playing mostly on the third line,” Darche said. “He's got a skill set. We are giving him opportunity to become a top-six player.”

Holmstrom scored 19 goals last season and 20 the year prior, largely playing alongside JG Pageau. Last season Holmstrom scored five game-winning goals, including a pair of OT winners. Playing with Pageau helped develop Holmstrom’s defensive game, so in Darche’s mind, he’s paid his dues.

“Most people they don't come in and you’re a top-six [forward]. You earn your way,” Darche said. “Right now, Homer has an opportunity to try to establish himself as a top-six player.”