Islanders re-sign Ryan Pulock to shocking long-term deal (report)

Late on Wednesday, Lou Lamoriello committed $50 million dollars to New York Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock. Not in some short-term mega-money deal, but in a max eight-year deal.

According to Darren Dreger, Ryan Pulock put pen to paper on an eight-year $50 million dollar contract with the Isles. If true, and it likely is, that’s a $6.25 million AAV for the right-shot top-pair defenseman.

New York Islanders re-sign Ryan Pulock

Think about that for a second. WIth Pulock under contract with what should be a $6.25 million AAV, Lou has locked up an elite-level defensive pair (including Adam Pelech) for $12 million combined.

That’s less than a McDavid. It’s about half of the Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns deals. It’s also just over a third of the Matthews-Tavares-Marner trio. Locking up Pulock, after locking up Adam Pelech for max length is already a good thing, but to do so in this fashion is incredible.

Pulock’s market value is easily around $9 million today. According to Dom Luszczszyn, Pulock would have been a $9 million player for at least two years. In fact, according to Dom’s model, the Islanders are effectively saving millions with this deal. Like about $12 million in savings.

They aren’t just saving money on a contract for a fourth-line plug or middle-tier talent. They’re doing it with an elite right-handed defenseman. I can assure you that such players do not grow on trees. Locking one up long-term and not overpaying to do so in this economy is, well, it’s unthinkable.

Remember, Seth Jones signed for a $9.5 million AAV with the Chicago Blackhawks less than three months ago. Jones is a good defenseman, but he isn’t an elite defenseman, not like Ryan Pulock. So Jones’ deal alone should have pushed up Pulock’s price tag. Getting him signed for what is well under his market price is almost beyond belief.