Islanders 2021-22 report cards: Ryan Pulock could improve a bit
It's the final report card for New York Islanders skaters. How did Ryan Pulock perform in 2021-22? Did he play up to the level we expect from him or was there perhaps a bit more to be desired?
This is a continuation of the player-level report cards that we started this offseason. You can read the other ones here:
Defense: Sebastian Aho | Zdeno Chara | Noah Dobson | Scott Mayfield | Adam Pelech
Forwards: Josh Bailey | Mathew Barzal | Anthony Beauvillier | Kieffer Bellows | Casey Cizikas | Cal Clutterbuck | Anders Lee | Brock Nelson | Matt Martin | Kyle Palmieri | Jean-Gabriel Pageau | Zach Parise | Oliver Wahlstrom
Team Level: New York Islanders
Offense: C+
Five goals and 21 points in 56 games. That's an increase of four points from last year when he scored 17 points. That jump up in production was mainly in goals. He added three goals from last season.
It's not the jump we wanted to see from Pulock. Remember this is a guy who scored ten goals and 35 points in 68 games just two seasons ago in 19-20 (a 42-point pace). That's what we'd love to see from Pulock. This step-up in production, while nice, isn't enough from Pulock.
He should be a 40-point defenseman and wasn't last year.
Defense: A
He's the third-best defenseman from a defensive perspective on the team with a -0.06 5on5 relative xGA/60. That's nothing new from Ryan Pulock. This shouldn't be a surprise to you.
Pulock is a solid defenseman in his own end and always has been. But it took Barry Trotz to put him in a position where that strength came to light. This year, Pulock's defensive strength was yet again on full display.
Impact vs. Reliance: B
Third most utilized on the team (across all situations), but he was 19 seconds back of Dobson's team leading 21:27 and eight seconds behind d-partner Adam Pelech's 21:16. He was also third in terms of average game score with a 0.44. Only Dobson and Pelech were better with a 0.49 and 0.56, respectively.
Look, we all know what to expect from Pulock in terms of his impact. We can certainly ask more from him offensively, but the foundation of his game is as strong as can be. Even when he's not as productive as he should be he's still giving the team fair value in terms of impact vs. his reliance.
Final Grade: B
Was this a good year for Ryan Pulock? Yeah, I guess it was alright. Was there more we could ask from him? Of course, but that's purely in terms of production and honestly, that's something that can be said for just about anyone on the roster not named Brock Nelson or Noah Dobson.