It’s been several years since Mathieu Darche first emerged as a candidate to become an NHL general manager. As the Lightning’s assistant GM and director of hockey operations, he has been Julien BriseBois’ right-hand man in leading the team’s hockey operations department.

The New York Islanders have the man to make the first pick in the draft. Sources told ESPN's Emily Kaplan that the team is hiring Lightning assistant general manager Mathieu Darche as its new GM. Darche played parts of nine seasons in the league with five different teams.

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. Darche was named executive vice president and GM and put in charge of the organization's hockey operations department.