NY Islanders Ownership Was Major Selling Point for Coach

The New York Islanders ownership group has separated itself from its peers.

Mar 25, 2023; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders owner Jon Ledecky sings with the crowd during a timeout in the second period against the Buffalo Sabres at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports

The New York Islanders have undergone a lot of management changes in a little over a year’s time.

In May 2025, Mathieu Darche was hired to take over as general manager of the team. Just a few months later, Kelly Cheeseman was brought on as the president of business operations. And the latest change was to the head coach.

With four games remaining in the 2025-26 regular season, the Islanders decided it was time to move on from Patrick Roy. He was replaced by Peter DeBoer, who will be coaching his sixth NHL franchise. This one, however, is a lot different than some of his previous stops.

What drew DeBoer and other people in management to the franchise was the ownership. Scott Malkin, Jon Ledecky and Dewey Shay have been majority owners since purchasing it from Charles Wang 10 years ago. And their willingness to spend and make financial commitments was a massive draw.

Islanders ownership group sets franchise apart from others

Dec 27, 2023; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders owner Jon Ledecky claps during the second period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

“It’s music to any coach’s ears to hear, ‘Hey, we’re willing to do whatever it takes to win games and give you a chance to be as competitive as possible,’ ” DeBoer said, via Andrew Gross of Newsday (subscription required). “In today’s environment, that means spending to the cap. It’s a really hard league if you’re not one of those teams that’s in that vicinity.”

DeBoer spent three seasons as head coach of the Florida Panthers for his first NHL job. During that span, the franchise went through three ownership groups. Being able to come to New York and be part of this kind of stability is something he does not take for granted.

As he noted, it takes commitment from ownership down to be successful in the NHL. Malkin, Ledecky and Shay all have one thing in common: they want to see the Islanders win, and are willing to do anything to achieve that goal.

That goes beyond just spending money on players to get near the salary cap. Facilities are incredibly important as well, and New York has great ones that impressed DeBoer, who feels strongly about their home stadium, UBS Arena.

Islanders have premier facilities for team to use

Nov 21, 2021; Elmont, New York, USA; Fans line up outside of UBS Arena before the game between New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs. Mandatory Credit: Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports

He even loves the practice rink at the Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow, calling it “the best facilities of any of the teams I’ve coached.”

That is high praise for someone who is as well-traveled as DeBoer. Along with the Panthers, he has also been head coach of the New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars.

At his last two stops, expectations were sky-high as Stanley Cup Contenders. The Islanders aren’t quite at that level yet, but DeBoer is hoping to turn them into a perennial playoff team that can compete at the top of the Eastern Conference in due time.

Achieving that goal will be much easier with an ownership group as dedicated as Malkin, Ledecky and Shay leading the way.