If Patrick Roy really wants another challenge, he has to start by performing in New York.

Patrick Roy was named head coach of the New York Islanders last Saturday. Since then, he’s been on a roll.

He quickly took the helm of his team last Sunday after a short and intense morning skate . He won his first game before losing the next two, including yesterday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. I imagine you’ve heard of him.

His club has returned to New York and tomorrow he’ll face the Florida Panthers at home. After that, he’ll have a break to settle in the city, but also to prepare for the end of his season as coach of the Islanders.

The playoff race will be important, as Roy Patrick didn’t come back to the NHL to lose. He’s been waiting a long time for this opportunity (over seven years), and all indications are that he hasn’t jumped at anything either.

I don’t know if he’s turned down jobs as such in recent years, but it’s clear he’s been talking to other teams. And it’s clear that if he accepted the Islanders’ challenge, it’s because he felt comfortable doing so.

But it’s probably also because he likes his chances of winning.

The Islanders may not be a league powerhouse, but they don’t have an ugly base. And who knows, with Roy behind the bench, what effect that could have on the club.

Of course, if Roy is successful with the Islanders, it’s safe to assume that this won’t be his last NHL job.

Yesterday, Dany Dubé broached the subject on 98.5 FM, mentioning that he believes Patrick Roy is in the process of positioning himself in the NHL with an eye on a position that will allow him to win later on.

What the Habs game analyst maintains is that coaches don’t last long in the NHL. Firings are plentiful, as evidenced by the fact that only seven coaches have been on the job for more than 36 months.

Seven coaches!

In his opinion, Roy is positioning himself for a job elsewhere in a few years’ time, once the other NHL general managers have seen what he’s got.

He’s not the only one talking about the future. According to Renaud Lavoie, we shouldn’t be surprised if he becomes a GM one day. Is Lou Lamoriello preparing for his exit?

I’m not saying the guys don’t have reason to think about the coach’s future. After all, coaches are often fired quickly in the NHL.

To put things in perspective, Martin St-Louis, who has been with the Habs for less than two years, is the 11th longest-serving coach in the NHL with his current team.

I’m not saying Roy isn’t thinking about his future. Nor am I saying that he won’t have another job in the NHL. I think Dubé and Lavoie are right, to a certain extent, to talk about his future.

But what I’m saying is that Roy, whether he means it or not, has to keep his mentality of only thinking about the Islanders. He can’t start thinking about what’s next right away.

If he really wants another job eventually (which I think he will), he has to win with the Islanders and he has to show that he can be a good soldier under Lou Lamoriello in New York.

Basically, he needs to show that he’s learned from his mistakes. And then, in due course… he’ll see.

Extension

Yes, he’s “auditioning” with the Islanders, a club that has offered him a contract whose details we don’t know, but above all, he has to make sure he performs well.

And knowing his desire to win, I’d like to think he knows it.