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The New York Islanders signed a key player to a contract extension this week. Here are the updates:


PULOCK SIGNS EXTENSION

Ryan Pulock re-signed with the Islanders ahead of his arbitration hearing this week. The deal is two years and carries a $5 million AAV. You can read my analysis of the contract here.


PULOCK COMMENTS ON CONTRACT AND CONVERSATIONS WITH BARZAL

Pulock also made some interesting comments on his contract, as well as conversations he's had with Mathew Barzal, shown below.

Regarding RFA Mathew Barzal, newly-resigned #Isles D Ryan Pulock says two have talked in the offseason. Says goal for both was to have deals that worked for both sides in order to keep as much of this group together as possible. Pulock says they want to win here.

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) November 4, 2020

While a deal isn’t done yet, this should give Islanders fans a reason to be optimistic about Barzal's contract.



As for this week’s poll questions, here are the results and my thoughts on how they turned out:


QUESTION: Do you like Ryan Pulock’s new contract for the Islanders?

(Votes: 171)

Yes: 73%
No: 18%
Don’t feel strongly either way: 10%

While a long-term deal was obviously ideal, this is a solid contract for the Islanders as well. It will bridge the gap until they have more cap space in 2022 and comes at a very reasonable AAV in the meantime.



QUESTION: How many points do you expect from Ryan Pulock next season?

(Votes: 88)

More than 40 points: 50%
35-40 points: 41%
Less than 35 points: 9%

Pulock has been very consistent with his production since making the jump to the NHL. He’s averaged 39 points, 37 points and 42 points per 82 games in each of the last three seasons respectively, so it’s likely we see him either between 35 and 40 points or just over 40 points once again.



QUESTION: Do you expect a bridge deal for Mathew Barzal?

(Votes: 135)

Yes: 81%
No: 19%

I think everyone would prefer a long-term deal for Barzal, however, it seems pretty unlikely at this point. Ideally, New York signs Barzal to a short-term bridge-deal, before re-signing him to a longer deal a few years down the road when they have the cap space.



***NOTE: We've launched a HockeyBuzz Islanders Twitter account! For anyone interested, you can follow @HB_Islanders for updates on articles, Islanders news, etc.***


OTHER ISLANDERS ARTICLES FROM NOVEMBER

Weekly Recap: Islanders Edition (November 1)
A shorter deal could be the solution to re-signing Ryan Pulock
Islanders re-sign Ryan Pulock
Analyzing Ryan Pulock's new contract
With Ryan Pulock signed, the focus turns to Mathew Barzal’s contract

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