Andrew Gross: Islanders' coach Pete DeBoer back in Dallas, a stop on his long journey
Then-Dallas Stars head coach Peter DeBoer looks on during the third period in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on May 23, 2025, in Dallas. Credit: AP/LM Otero
DALLAS — The average length of tenure for an NHL coach is approximately 2 1⁄2 seasons. So it’s a testament to Pete DeBoer’s bench skills that before joining the Islanders with four games remaining last season, he lasted longer than that in four of his first five NHL jobs.
Even if it hasn’t been by much.
DeBoer lasted four-plus seasons with the Sharks, three-plus seasons with the Devils, three seasons with the Panthers and Stars and two-plus seasons with Vegas, all while being widely regarded as one of the NHL’s top tacticians and communicators.
It also means DeBoer has plenty of experience going back and coaching against a former team. When the Islanders open a three-game road trip at American Airlines Center on Sunday, it will mark his first time facing the Stars since he was fired in 2025 after three appearances in the Western Conference finals.
“Well, listen, I’ve done this a few times, a few different spots,” DeBoer said. “Your first game back is always a little special just because you know a lot of people. It was a great chapter in my coaching career, but now I’m coaching the Islanders and focused on that. It’ll be nice to go back, but I’m not spending a lot of time on it.”
“Maybe it’s different because he’s been with a couple of different organizations,” left wing Kyle MacLean told Newsday. “But he did have a lot of success in Dallas and it was his most recent job. So I’m sure it will mean something. He’ll want to get the win. We’ll try to do our best to have his back there and give him a good return.”
The Stars moved on from DeBoer after a five-game loss to the Oilers in the conference finals. DeBoer pulled No. 1 goalie Jake Oettinger in the first period of Game 5 after he allowed two goals on the first two shots, and that seemed to be a tipping point for DeBoer’s employment.
DeBoer, who served as an assistant coach for Team Canada during the Winter Olympics in February, said he chatted with Oettinger in Italy but did not elaborate further.
He also did not wish to comment on this being the Islanders’ first game in Dallas since the Stars’ Mikko Rantanen ended Alexander Romanov’s season on Nov. 19 with a five-minute boarding penalty that required the defenseman to undergo shoulder surgery.
“A non-story for me,” DeBoer said. “I wasn’t part of all that.”
While his Game 5 goalie decision may be what Stars fans remember most about DeBoer’s tenure in Dallas, it certainly isn’t what defines his career.
The fact that DeBoer is coaching his sixth team in 19 NHL seasons speaks more to the disposal nature with which coaches are treated. He has a 668-453-154 career regular-season record and has gone 97-82 in the playoffs, including Stanley Cup Final berths with the Devils in 2012 and Sharks in 2016.
“It’s the business of the sport,” right wing Anthony Duclair, who has played for nine teams in 13 seasons, told Newsday. “We’re in a league where you need results, the same thing for the coach and player. If the results aren’t there, people are going to move on. For myself and Pete, obviously we’d like to stick with one team, but that sometimes doesn’t happen. I think we’re both happy where we are right now.”
Stanley steps in
General manager Mathieu Darche fielded a parade of questions during his media availability this past week regarding the recovery of Mathew Barzal (left knee) and trade rumors surrounding defenseman Scott Mayfield.
Darche also had time to chat about free-agent pickup Logan Stanley, whom nobody in the organization expected to wind up as defenseman Matthew Schaefer’s top-pair partner when the 6-7, seven-season veteran was signed on Sept. 27 to a one-year, $1.5 million deal.
Sunday’s game against the Stars will mark the Islanders’ eighth featuring the Stanley-Schaefer pairing and without Alexander Romanov (right knee).
“We brought him in, he was going to play with Tony D [DeAngelo],” Darche said. “What’s impressed me the most about Stan is he’s got way better puck skills than I thought.
“I’m not trying to compare him to Matthew Schaefer. But just those little plays on the breakout, hitting the guy in the middle, getting it up the wall. There’s a lot more skilled plays that people might not notice out there. He waits for the pressure. He waits for the lane to open up.”
First goal for Finley
The Islanders have had a strong belief that speedy forward prospect Quinn Finley can be a solid NHL contributor — projected to play on the second or third line — since they drafted him in the third round in 2022.
But patience has been required.
Finley played one more season of junior hockey and then three NCAA seasons for Wisconsin before signing his entry-level contract on April 15. But his recovery from season-ending shoulder surgery limited his participation through development camp, rookie camp and training camp.
He finally made his professional debut for the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Hamilton, Ontario, on Oct. 16 and scored his first goal on Friday night in a 4-2 loss to Laval.
“I think we were just taking our time with it,” said Finley, 22. “We didn’t want to rush anything, talking with the doctors in New York and just making sure we’re doing everything the right way. I’m really happy the way it came out.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
