The Dallas Stars may not see much of Pete DeBoer and his new club, but Matt Duchene sounded more than comfortable with that scenario.
As DeBoer begins a fresh chapter behind the bench of the New York Islanders, Duchene offered a candid reaction that mixed respect with relief, hinting he’d rather avoid facing his former coach.
Matt Duchene’s Reaction to Pete DeBoer Joining the Islanders
The New York Islanders recently hired DeBoer as head coach after parting ways with Patrick Roy, a move aimed at sparking a late push for a playoff spot. With just four games remaining, the Islanders hold third place in the Metropolitan Division, just one point ahead of the teams trailing them, making the coaching change a high-stakes gamble.
Duchene shared a lighthearted but telling reaction when asked about his former coach landing in New York. “We’ve been wondering all year where he was gonna end up landing. He’s a top-end coach. Just glad he landed in the East, so we don’t have to play against his teams in the playoffs unless both teams went all the way,” he said.
Since Dallas competes in the Western Conference, the only realistic matchup would be the Stanley Cup Final, meaning both teams would have to survive deep postseason runs.
Why the Islanders Are Banking on Pete DeBoer’s Experience
DeBoer brings a wealth of experience to a team fighting to stay alive. Over 17 NHL seasons, he has coached 1,261 games across the Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, Vegas Golden Knights, and the Stars. He also guided teams to the Stanley Cup Final twice, with New Jersey in 2012 and San Jose in 2016, and holds a regular-season record of 662-447-152.
DeBoer was dismissed by Dallas after the team’s third consecutive conference finals loss in June 2025, but now finds himself back behind an NHL bench with a chance to make an immediate impact.
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The veteran coach acknowledged the urgency of the situation as he steps into a playoff race.
“We’re going to tweak some things. This is a good team. There are good people in there. They were doing a lot of good things for big parts of this year. So we just try and get that back on track,” DeBoer said.
He also emphasized perspective after time away from coaching.
“You get a little different perspective about how fortunate we are to do what we do… don’t take that for granted.”
The Islanders’ next test comes against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, a crucial matchup that could shape their playoff hopes.
