The coaching lineup for Peter DeBoer’s inaugural full season with the New York Islanders is set to feature yet another alteration. Ray Bennett, a seasoned NHL assistant coach, will not be returning to the Islanders for the 2026-27 season. Instead, he will be joining the Washington Capitals as an assistant coach, a move announced by both teams recently.
The departure of Bennett from the Islanders was a mutual decision, according to Ethan Sears of The Post. This marks the second significant change in the Islanders’ coaching roster since their season concluded without a playoff berth. Earlier this month, Rocky Thompson, who served as the AHL head coach for Bridgeport, was elevated to the NHL staff after just one year with the team.
In a statement, the Islanders expressed their gratitude towards Bennett, saying, “The organization would like to thank Ray for his hard work and dedication to the organization last season.”
Bennett, who previously lent his expertise to the Blues and Kings, joined the Islanders last year to assist Patrick Roy, following his tenure with the Avalanche where he managed their power play. Despite his efforts, the Islanders’ power play performance remained lackluster, ending the regular season with the third-worst record in the NHL at a 16.5 percent success rate.
Bennett, who also spent time as an assistant with the Blues and Kings, arrived last year as an addition to Patrick Roy’s staff after a stint with the Avalanche running their power play, but the Islanders’ unit kept struggling and finished with the third-worst unit in the NHL during the regular season at 16.5 percent.
Over the final 12 games of the regular season, with the Islanders clinging to their playoff hopes, they converted just five of their 34-man advantage opportunities, and that percentage worsened to just 2-for-18 across their final six games.
That, somehow, marked an improvement from their 12.5 percent rate from 2024-25.
Matthew Schaefer, who won the Calder Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year, led the Islanders with eight power-play goals while Bo Horvat added seven, but no one else collected more than five.
It’ll serve as a primary issue for DeBoer, who coached the final four games after Patrick Roy’s firing, and his staff to solve entering next season, and now, with Bennett not returning, someone else will be tasked with running it, too.
The Post’s Ethan Sears contributed reporting.