New York Islanders: Ryan Pulock Inks Two-Year Extension, Avoiding Arbitration

Just days before his arbitration hearing, RFA Ryan Pulock agreed to terms on a two-year extension with the New York Islanders.

One of the top priorities for this New York Islanders team was bringing back the team’s number one defenseman

Ryan Pulock

. Yesterday, general manager Lou Lamoriello made it happen with two days to spare before his scheduled arbitration hearing.

After falling just two games shy of the Stanley Cup Finals in 2019-20, the team’s goal was to remain in tact as much as possible, with the attention on re-signing their key RFA’s in

Mathew Barzal

, Ryan Pulock, and

Devon Toews

. With there being a flat cap of $81.5 million due to the coronavirus pandemic, getting all three signed would not be easy with limited money to go around. On Oct. 12, the Islanders

decided to part way with Toews

before reaching his arbitration hearing date, trading him to the

Colorado Avalanche

for two second-round picks (2021, 2022). Toews would avoid arbitration with his new team, signing a 4-year deal, with an AAV of $4.1 million. While it is back-heavy, banking on him to improve year after year, the Islanders were in no position to offer him that kind of money, which is why he was dealt. After inking Pulock, the team is hovering around $3.9 million in available cap space. We know that Lamoriello will need to move at least one of the many undesirable contracts on this roster (listed below) to give Barzal a respectful deal, while also having a chance to bring back UFA’s

Matt Martin

and

Derick Brassard

.

• Johnny Boychuk: 2-years, $12 M, M-NTC
• Leo Komarov: 2-years, $6 M, M-NTC
• Andrew Ladd: 3-years, $16.5 M, M-NTC
• Thomas Hickey: 2-years, $5 M

Not having to wait for Pulock to battle it out in arbitration is a big step for this franchise, as

his deal helps his team out financially

. Yesterday at 1:00 p.m. ET, Pulock addressed the media:

The biggest takeaway from this interview was his discussions with teammate Mat Barzal:

Many athletes across the entirety of the sports world tend to fall victim to selfishness, caring more about the zeros in their bank account over winning. To see two teammates discussing viable ways to help the team remain a cup contender speaks volumes to the leadership in the room, stemming down from captain

Anders Lee

, who will undoubtedly go down as one of the best to wear the “C” for this organization when his career is all said and done. For Pulock, his play this past season was critical, as he became a bonafide leader on the back-end, seeing his role elevated when his partner

Adam Pelech

went down with an Achilles injury halfway through the season. While the Manitoba-native may not be your typical number one defenseman,

Arthur Staple of The Athletic

spoke about his role last night and what this deal means for Mat Barzal on NHL Network:

This shortened season, Pulock was able to set a career-high in Average Time On Ice, playing 22:24 minutes per game, while also coming rather close to surpassing career highs in goals, assists, and, of course, points. In 68 games played, the fifth-year NHLer recorded 10 goals (tying career-high), while also picking up 25 assists in the process for 35 points. Both those offensive statistics were the best among the team’s defensive group, the 25 assists good for fourth on the entire team. Despite the strong play from the defense since Barry Trotz took over, the players on the Isles’ backend still do not receive the proper credit in my opinion, particularly Pulock. The 15th overall pick back in the 2013 NHL Draft has not just improved offensively over his tenure on the team, but has also become a top tier defenseman in his own zone. He registered 1.62 hits per game and 2.04 blocks per game in 68 games.

Although his advanced metrics were not stellar during the regular season, posting career lows in Corsi For % (44.8%) and in Fenwick For % (46.4%), I accredit that to the team around him, a team losing many guys to freak injuries this season. Despite a 10-game winning streak and a 17-game point streak that occurred in the first half of the season, the team did not play to their standard overall, not being in a playoff spot when play was halted. However, when it came time for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Pulock, now reunited with a healthy Pelech, saw an uptick in his performance defensively. He averaged 2.64 hits per game and 2.45 blocks per game in the Islanders 22-game postseason run. He added two goals and eight assists to that stat line, averaging 22:42 of TOI. He has become known for having a wicked slap shot over his time in the NHL and watching it fly off his stick never gets old:

He was making huge plays defensively every night as well, the one below coming during the Qualifying Round against the Florida Panthers:

For a team looking to stay a cup contender, bringing back their number one defenseman was a must. Fortunately for the Islanders, Ryan Pulock does care about winning, and signing his team-friendly deal proved that to the front office, his teammates, and the passionate Islander fanbase.