Ryan Pulock
Pulock was the Islanders first-round selection in the 2013 NHL Draft with the 15th pick. Because of his rocket slap shot, Pulock was placed on the power play more often in his career and struggled with knowing when to force a shot or make a pass. His offensive numbers were larger in the early part of his career where he registered two 10-goal seasons. He maxes out on 5 goals a season and averages around 22 points.
Similar to Pelech, the Manitoba native has struggled with injuries other than the 2022-23 season where he played all 82 games. Paired with Pelech by Trotz, Pulock thrived on big minutes and shutting down the opposition's best line. Because of the added responsibility, Pulock played less on the man advantage.
The 6'2 defenseman's contract expires in 2030 but will be paid $6.15 million per season. Having played solid minutes for the Islanders, Pulock is not as reliable due to his potential for being out of the lineup from injury. He plays a solid defensive game and still has the hard slapshot, but is rarely productive on the power play, but so is everyone on the power play units these days.
Like the rest of this group, Pulock's ceiling has been reached on Long Island and could be far more valuable on a contender but the contract amount and length will be the biggest hurdle for Lamoriello to find a suitor.
Pelech and Pulock are both in the latter halves of their careers but still can provide solid defensive play when healthy. Any team looking for defensive help would be lucky to have either of these two on their defensive unit. For that, the Islanders could use one of the two to lead them into the next era of the Islanders' defense. It would be sad to see one of them go but the salary cap space is needed to revamp this roster as quickly as possible.