New York Islanders Daily: Ryan Pulock Top-Pair Material

While Johnny Boychuk was injured, Ryan Pulock spent some time on the top defensive pairing with Nick Leddy. Can this be a peak in the future for the New York Islanders?

Johnny Boychuk missed some time with an injury recently. This is nothing new, as Boychuk has missed time in each of the four years he’s been here with the New York Islanders. What was new, was Boychuk’s replacement on the top-pair.

Ryan Pulock spent some time with the Isles top defenseman Nick Leddy in Boychuk’s absence. The kid actually held his own.

Doug Weight had this to say about his defensive technique:

"“When you look like him, 225, he’s strong, a good skater, but his technique was poor. He’s been working on it and now it’s second nature for him.”"

Pulock has a ton of potential, especially offensively. I know I saw Pulock as the eventual replacement for Johhny Boychuk. The couple games Leddy and Pulock played together could be a look into the Isles future.

Pulock still has a ways to go, but there has been significant growth in his game since the start of the year. He’s rocking a 52.2 CF% which is best amongst Islanders defenders.

If Pulock continues to grow (by playing every day and getting better) he will be a legit candidate to replace Boychuk when he really starts to break down. For now, let’s just be happy that he doesn’t look like a bust, something Isles fans feared at the start of the season.

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