New York Islanders Ryan Pulock Deserves An Oppurtunity

The New York Islanders have a wealth of quality NHL defenseman. That has been both a blessing and a curse. Their depth on the blue line has held back Ryan Pulock. With the majority of his last two years spent at the AHL level, Pulock’s time is now.

In 2013 NHL Draft the New York Islanders selected Ryan Pulock with the fifteenth overall pick. Having the same slot this year the Isles can only be so lucky to take a talented kid as Pulock.

Pulock’s draft scouting report was he had good size (six-foot-one, 214 pounds, now) along with a cannon of a slap shot (clocked at 105 mph). Many scouts felt Pulock could be a weapon on a team’s power play.

The Time is Now

Outside of a smattering of games with the Islanders the last two years, including some playoff games against the Florida Panthers, Pulock has been honing his craft with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the AHL.

Last year, the Manitoba native scored 15 goals and 46 points in just 55 games for the Sound Tigers. On top of that offensive production, Pulock was also a plus-ten. So his defensive play was solid as well.

New York Islanders

The call never came for Pulock due to the fact that the Isles stayed relatively healthy on the blue line. Instead, Pulock had to bide his time with Bridgeport.

2017-18 Pulock’s Season

The log jam on the Islanders blue line will be eased up somehow this month. Either through trade(s) or expansion, something has to give.

It could be that Travis Hamonic or Calvin de Haan are on the move later this month. Either would open a spot for Pulock.

One thing is for sure and that is Pulock will not be exposed to the NHL Expansion Draft later this month. The reason being, it would take Vegas Golden Knights General Manager, George McPhee five seconds to decide to grab Pulock from the Islanders.

Pulock’s offensive game and his power play prowess is something this current Islanders squad desperately needs. Both Garth Snow and Doug Weight know that.

Trade Possible?

Is it possible the Islanders could trade Pulock this off-season? Only if the Isles land a young talented offensive scorer in return.

Ideally, the Islanders should do everything they can to keep Pulock and have him as one of their core blueliners for the foreseeable future. He can be a key ingredient turning the Islanders from a good team to a true contender.

Next: Isles Hire Scott Gomez

The time is now for Pulock to show the Islanders organization, fanbase, and all of the NHL what he brings to the table. I’m very confident that he won’t disappoint the blue and orange faithful.