Darche joins the Islanders after spending the past six seasons with the Lightning, who never missed the playoffs during his tenure.

The New York Islanders hired Mathieu Darche as their general manager Friday, giving the two-time Stanley Cup-winning Tampa Bay Lightning assistant his long-awaited first chance to run an NHL team.

The New York Islanders officially announced the hiring of Mathieu Darche as the team’s new GM on Friday, NHL.com confirmed.