ELMONT, NY — Pete DeBoer is as well-traveled an NHL head coach as they come, but over the last decade, whether it was in his stint with the San Jose Sharks or Vegas Golden Knights, or Dallas Stars, there always seemed to be one constant: Jean-Gabriel Pageau.
No, Pageau had never played for DeBoer. He always just so happened to be the white whale of the general managers who were looking to swing a difference-making trade at the deadline before a playoff run.
“He checks so many boxes: Face-offs, power play, penalty kill,” DeBoer said. “You can stick him anywhere, and he’s going to help.”
The stars finally aligned for DeBoer when he took the New York Islanders’ head-coaching gig with four games left last season, and he’s having a field day deploying the veteran center as he sees fit.
Pageau has had a revolving door of linemates throughout his Islanders career, but this year has featured a significant gap in age difference. On opening night, he was working with 20-year-old Victor Eklund, which isn’t necessarily anything new.
Regardless of the regime behind the bench, Pageau has often been placed with younger players because he sets the right example as a vet who prides himself on the little details of the game. General manager Mathieu Darche went as far as to label Pageau as the Islanders’ “most consistent forward.”
“He plays the right way; he doesn’t complain,” Darche added. “He helps the young guys. He’s a great veteran to have on the team.”
Over the previous two seasons, he was practically attached to the hip of Simon Holmstrom, who has developed from a promising prospect to a reliable, all-around forward currently playing on the first line with Bo Horvat and Kyle Palmieri.
“He made a huge difference for me in how easy it was to play with him,” Holmstrom said. “Everyone who plays with Pager feels how easy it is to play with him and the confidence that he gives you. He always told me to do my stuff out there and to hang on to pucks and be strong on it and play with confidence. So he helps a lot.”
Recently, though, DeBoer has placed Ondrej Palat and Anthony Duclair, who have combined to play over 1,500 career NHL games, with Pageau, in hopes of providing some stability for the veteran wingers.
Duclair appears to be coming out of the other side of a nightmare first two seasons with the Islanders, and is emerging as a difference-maker of a middle-six forward with scoring pop. Palat, who scored just once in 29 games after being acquired by the Islanders late last season, already has two goals in nine games.
“You’re taking both extremes with Palat, who has a lot of experience, and Eklund, who is just stepping in right now and dipping his toes,” Pageau said. “There’s a big gap between the two of them. There’s obviously a different approach. I feel like Palat can still help me in some way, and Eklund can help me in some different ways, some offensive thoughts. I think everyone’s bringing a different perspective, but definitely both fun to do to work with and play with.”
The fact that DeBoer trusts him to assume these roles is all the more motivating for the 33-year-old. .
“It makes me want to give even more to him and show him the player I am and how I can help the team,” he continued. “Sometimes it’s not about the goals or the points. Sometimes it’s about the little details, and it seems like he appreciates that part and he sees it. So it’s fun to get recognized for that.”
For more on JG Pageau and the Islanders, visit AMNY.com
