New York Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock has undergone surgery to address a shoulder injury that he played through this season per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. Rosner adds that the injury was one of a few Pulock played through this season, and that the veteran defender is expected to be back to full health before training camp next season.
Pulock only missed six games this season, despite battling through a few different ailments. All of those absences came in the second half of the season – with Pulock missing two games in January, three games in March, and New York’s season finale. He otherwise filled a pivotal role in the lineup, standing opposite of rookie-phenom Matthew Schaefer on the Islanders’ top pair. Pulock served as the defensive backbone that helped Schaefer tie Brian Leetch‘s record for most goals by a rookie defenseman in NHL history (23).
On his own, Pulock racked up 27 points, 49 hits, and a team-leading 147 shot blocks on the year. It was his highest-scoring season since he scored 35 points in the 2019-20 season, when much of his year was spent alongside Devon Toews. Pulock also posted the lowest goals-against per 60 minutes of ice time on the Islanders’ blue-line this season, per HockeyStats.com. It was another successful year for the veteran defender – a testament to his impact on the nightly lineup despite an injury-plagued year.
Pulock is signed to a reasonable, $6.15MM cap hit through the 2029-30 season. That contract will help keep his focus solely on returning to full health this summer. He will enter the 2026-27 season looking to continue backing Schaefer’s high-scoring offense. Pulock’s top spot is nearly unrivaled on the depth chart, backed by Scott Mayfield, Adam Boqvist, and pending free agent Tony DeAngelo.