Lightning assistant GM Mathieu Darche named Islanders general manager

Eduardo A. Encina, Tampa Bay Times on May 23, 2025

Published in Hockey

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TAMPA, Fla. — It had been several years since Mathieu Darche first emerged as a candidate to become an NHL general manager. As the Lightning’s assistant GM, he had been Julien BriseBois’ right-hand man in leading the team’s hockey operations department.

Now, Darche, who played a major behind-the-scenes role in helping to establish the Lightning as one of the league’s top organizations, will have a chance to build a winner front and center on Long Island.

Darche on Friday was named general manager and executive vice president of the New York Islanders, taking over from Lou Lamoriello. As such, Darche will manage all aspects of the team’s hockey operations.

Darche, 48, had worked in the Lightning front office for six seasons. He was hired in 2019 to be the director of hockey operations and promoted to assistant GM two years ago. He was BriseBois’ top lieutenant for player personnel decisions, analytics, player development, contract negotiations and managing the salary cap.

Darche played 250 games in the NHL, including 73 with the Lightning in 2007-08. His first one-way contract — signed with Montreal at age 33 — was negotiated by BriseBois in 2010, when BriseBois was the Canadiens’ vice president of hockey operations. A few weeks later, BriseBois was hired to assist then-Lightning GM Steve Yzerman in Tampa Bay.

After retiring as a player, Darche, who owns a degree in marketing and international business from McGill University, was an NHLPA negotiator during the 2012-13 work stoppage and worked with the pro hockey players union on the AHL’s collective bargaining agreement.

He also served as an analyst for Canadian French-language TV network RDS and worked as VP of sales and marketing for Delmar International, a Canadian customs broker and freight forwarder, before BriseBois gave him his first foray into hockey operations following the 2018-19 season.

Given the Lightning’s success under BriseBois — eight straight playoff appearances, three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final and back-to-back titles in 2020 and ‘21 — Darche has been a serious GM candidate since 2022, when he was strongly considered for the Canadiens’ in-season GM opening.

If the Lightning decide to promote from within, some internal candidates include assistant general managers Stacy Roest, who is director of player development; and Jamie Pushor, the director of player personnel.

Darche’s departure comes a day after head coach Jon Cooper lost a valued member of his staff. Assistant Jeff Blashill on Thursday was named head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks.