New York Islanders Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer attended Game 4 of the NBA Finals, where the New York Knicks took a commanding 3-1 series lead. Clearly, Schaefer was the spark that the Knicks needed to regain their winning form after losing Game 3. All kidding aside, the Knicks are providing a great example of how to design a roster and put that plan together over several years and through player transactions.
In March of 2020, the Knicks named Leon Rose the next president of the franchise. The Knicks are now just one win away from becoming the NBA champions. The job is not done, but the journey to get here had some extreme ups and downs, along with difficult decisions and risks.
The Islanders organization had returned to respectability after Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz were hired. Under the two, the Islanders reached two Eastern Conference Finals, including one game 7, before bowing out against the Tampa Bay Lightning both years.
In May of 2025, the Islanders named Mathieu Darche the new general manager, and after one season, Darche has been aggressive in implementing his plan. Like Rose, Darche is already taking heat from the fan base, but it would be beneficial to allow Darche time to put his team and coach together.
Coaching
Rose hired Tom Thibodeau to bring a culture to the Knicks that would allow them to compete for the playoffs and learn how to succeed in the NBA. Darche inherited Patrick Roy, and the Islanders had first-half success, but ultimately collapsed at the end of the season.
With Darche's first coaching hire, he grabbed a proven winner in Peter DeBoer. DeBoer coached in just 4 games for his new club, but it is clear that he is the long-term answer to establish the right system that Darche has envisioned for his players.
DeBoer has almost 700 career victories in the NHL, and although he is the coach currently, like Thibodeau and his 578 career NBA victories, he may bring them just far enough before handing over the reins to the next coach.
Roster Construction
Rose made many acquisitions that help mode this championship contender the Knicks are currently. The franchise player came from a free agent, Jalen Brunson. The Islanders have lucked out with their franchise building block by winning the draft lottery and selecting Schaefer.
Players like Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns were not brought to New York for nothing, as Rose sacrificed draft capital and young players like RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, as well as veteran Julius Randle.
The bigger acquisitions for Darche are yet to come, but trading an established player like Noah Dobson for potentially two impactful players from the draft is a solid start. Like Barrett, Dobson was a former first-round draft choice of the organization and was settling into a strong NHL contributor.
The bottom line is that Darche is only one year into the job and has made some franchise-changing moves. His moves are not without skepticism, but no general manager is perfect, especially at their first job. The Knicks went through the bumps and bruises that every champion goes through, and are one win away from everything paying off. The Islanders are not far off, and this summer will be a chance to take a step forward towards that Stanley Cup.
