The New York Islanders signed defenseman Adam Pelech to an eight-year contract on Friday, the team announced. The deal is worth $5.75 million annually, The Athletic confirmed.
A restricted free agent, Pelech had filed for arbitration.
Pelech, who turns 27 on Aug. 16, posted four goals and 10 assists along with a plus-15 rating in 2020-21, ranking third on the team in ice time with an average of 21:03. He finished 17th in Norris Trophy voting.
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A third-round pick by New York in 2012, he has 16 goals and 69 assists with a plus-42 rating over six NHL seasons.
(Photo: Mike Stobe / NHLI via Getty Images)
Why the Isles prioritized Pelech
Arthur Staple, Islanders beat writer: The Islanders need him. They wouldn't be the team that they've become without Pelech, who has emerged from "who's that guy?" to "oh, that guy" status after two deep playoff runs where Pelech and Ryan Pulock have emerged as one of, if not the best, shutdown defense pairs in the NHL.
And Pelech was doing that at the tail end of a deal worth $1.6 million per year, meaning this payday was a long time coming and very well earned.
Grading the contract
Dom Luszczyszyn, NHL analytics writer: This is a really good contract for both sides, which is rare to see. Pelech doesn’t have the production to get paid handsomely, but his advanced metrics paint a much prettier picture to his value — one you can see from watching him defend.
The team made a sacrifice in term — defenders like Pelech don’t usually hold up well past five years — but it was a worthy one to get the AAV down to a palatable number. At his current price, Pelech is a bargain as the Islanders continue their contention window.
Next priorities
Staple: Next up for Lou Lamoriello and the Islanders: Well, pretty much everything else. They have deals in Lamoriello's drawer for returning forwards Kyle Palmieri and Casey Cizikas and one for newcomer Zach Parise.
The Islanders still need a left-side defenseman to replace the traded Nick Leddy, though with the secret way Lamoriello has operated so far this offseason, he could have one already taking his new team head shot by now. The Isles have operated on their own timeline so far this summer, so there's still plenty left to announce.