New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche employed the same tactic that many in his position around the NHL have used over the years: He wrote a letter to the fans.
It is a simple gesture, one that helped cap off a frenzied first two months in charge of the organization. It included the trading of star defenseman Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens, the drafting of another potential franchise cornerstone on the blue line in Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 overall pick, and a free-agency period that retained some important role players and brought in some new potential game-changers.
“Thank you for welcoming my family and me to Long Island. The New York Islanders’ organization is first-class, and I am honored to represent the team as the general manager and executive vice president.
At the draft party and throughout development camp, I saw the incredible passion f this fan base up close, and I cant wait to see you all at UBS Arena on opening night.
Over the past two months, we’ve spoken about having a team that plays with pace and is defensively sond. This remains our direction. We executed on our plan for the NHL Draft and free agency, and are thrilled with the acquired talent.
We will continue working towards next season, and I assure you that everythingw e do is in the best interest of the New York Islanders and our ability to deliver you a team this season that competes every night. We have a bright future for seasons to come and it’s a privilege to take this journey with you.”
Islanders fans have been devoid of such a simple action for nearly a decade under the previous leadership headed by Lou Lamoriello, with this being the latest example of how a bit of transparency can go a long way.
The doors are suddenly open again, both literally and figuratively.
On the night they took Schaefer, Victor Eklund, and Kashawn Aitcheson in the first round, the Islanders threw their first draft party since 2018 — the first time UBS Arena hosted such an event.
Rookie development camp, which had been held under lock and key with only us in the media allowed inside, saw thousands of fans attend over the week-long event, which supplied a first-look at Schaefer in a full Islanders uniform.
Suddenly, fans are right to feel a bit more connected with their club, a bit closer to a team that felt like it was pushing itself toward isolation, and fell into the perfect excuse to do just that with the COVID pandemic.
Darche is living up to his own expectations when I asked him during his introductory press conference back in May just how important the concept of transparency was.
“I’m going to be honest. That’s my way of being with people,” he said. “The fans are passionate, so they want to know everything, I get it, but I still have to do my job the best way possible. So I’ll be as transparent as I can, that’s the way it’s going to work.”
