In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the future of Patrick Roy with the New York Islanders is suddenly less clear-cut than expected, the Toronto Maple Leafs are pushing back on outside noise surrounding their executive search, and the Detroit Red Wings face questions about whether keeping their top scorer long-term is as straightforward as it looks.
Several teams punched their tickets to the 2026 playoffs on Thursday, meaning the playoff field is narrowing with only a handful of regular-season games remaining.
Patrick Roy’s Islanders Future Still Uncertain
The situation surrounding Patrick Roy and the New York Islanders may not be as simple as an exit following his stint behind the bench. Stefen Rosner quotes ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, who wondered if Roy might stick around with the Islanders organization.
It’s rare for a coach relieved of his duties to stay, but Roy developed a strong working relationship with new GM Mathieu Darche and the decision to let Roy go wasn’t as much about Roy as a bad coach as it was the team feeling Pete DeBoer was an upgrade. It’s been made clear with recent comments from Darche and many of the players that Roy’s reputation within the room remains intact.
Importantly, Roy still has two years left on his contract, meaning the Islanders are already financially committed to him.
Could he wind up working with the team in a front-office or player development role if no other franchise comes calling right away? The idea doesn’t come without potential complications, but it’s apparently not off the table.
For now, nothing is confirmed.
Maple Leafs Push Back on Search Firm Speculation
The Toronto Maple Leafs are making one thing clear amid growing scrutiny over their search for a new hockey operations leader: they are not interested in feeding the speculation.
Related: David Amber Exposes the Maple Leafs’ Biggest Problem — And It’s Not the Goalies
Following the hiring of Neil Glasberg and The Coaches Agency to assist in the search process, questions have circulated about candidate transparency, potential conflicts of interest, and whether certain applicants may have ties to the firm. In response, the organization released a statement emphasizing that it will not provide updates or confirm candidates during the process.
“We appreciate the interest in the Maple Leafs’ Head of Hockey Operations search. Neil Glasberg, President of The Coaches Agency, has been retained to assist in the search. The organization’s top priority is to respect the integrity of the process, and we will not be providing updates or confirmations on potential candidates during the process. We’re pleased by the progress to date and will provide a formal update once the search is complete.”
While the tone was diplomatic, the message was clear—the Leafs intend to conduct their process and don’t care to fill fans or the media in along the way. There me also be a competitive component to all of this. As teams like the Leafs and New Jersey Devils are believed to be pursuing similar candidates, making the details of their search processes public makes little sense.
Red Wings Face Contract Decision on Alex DeBrincat
The Detroit Red Wings’ ongoing playoff struggles are once again raising broader roster questions. That includes considering an Alex DeBrincat trade, even if it’s clear that DeBrincat is not the problem.
He is having another strong offensive season, but as the Red Wings head toward yet another postseason miss, speculation persists about whether they will explore major changes. DeBrincat, entering the final year of his current contract, is eligible for an extension this summer, and questions about his long-term price tag are already emerging. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said he could see a world in which the Red Wings discussed this, even if he personally saw it as unlikely.
