Islanders: Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock Could Be Olympic Bound

One of the worst kept secrets around the NHL is just how good Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock are at their job. The two have been split up and are on different pairs but the Islanders defensemen are two of the best at shutting down opponents.

When together this year, Pelech – Pulock had a 69.2 high danger chances for in the four games they played together according to Natural Stat Trick.

As Arthur Staple mentioned today via The Athletic (subscription required) both Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock are receiving recognition from Team Canada and may be selected to play on their team in the Olympics in February of 2022.

Sure, neither guy puts up a ton of points but someone like Pelech could compliment a Cale Makar or Aaron Ekblad quite well for Team Canada.

Staple goes on to say that of the two, Pelech is likely the safer bet and I agree. Figure the team goes on to carry eight defensemen the two I just listed above are righty and Pelech is that stay-at-home type on the left that would compliment an Ekblad or Makar.

If you want to isolate Adam Pelech over the last four years now and look at how he’s limited opponents scoring chances it’s truly remarkable. Pelech’s HDCF% over the last four years is 50.0, 63.5, 49.4, and 53.1.

He’s arguably the biggest reason for the Islanders analytical glow up over the past couple of years and he (and Pulock too) was rewarded with a worthy extension.

Adam Pelech got himself a nice extension in the offseason. Lou Lamoriello gifted him an eight-year $46 million ($5.75 million AAV) contract while Ryan Pulock cashed in at eight years $49.2 million.

Even if neither of these two are selected to Team Canada, which would be a mistake especially for Adam Pelech’s case, Islanders fans can sleep soundly knowing they are a part of this team’s core through the remainder of their primes at a reasonable cost.