Ryan Pulock Out 4-6 Weeks with Lower-Body Injury

The New York Islanders struggling defensive unit just took another blow on Wednesday. Ryan Pulock will be out for the next 4-6 weeks with a lower-body injury.

Pulock did not suit up for the Islanders 6-1 loss on Tuesday night in Florida and he underwent an evaluation on Wednesday after the team arrived back on Long Island. Pulock had appeared in all 12 games of the Islanders season to date and leads the team in average ice time with 22:27.

Ryan Pulock blocked a shot from Mathieu Joseph in the second period of Monday’s loss to the Tamp Bay Lightning and struggled to get to the bench afterward. Pulock only appeared in 2:28 of the third period. The shot appeared to go off his right ankle or foot.

The Islanders’ blue line had already been struggling this season since Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech had to be split up to compensate for the loss of Nick Leddy during the offseason.

While Zdeno Chara has improved, his game has not matched what the Islanders had expected him to do this season and Noah Dobson has struggled to match what New York needed him to do on the backend. The loss of Pulock will only exacerbate the situation the Isles currently find themselves in.

Sebastian Aho took the ice in Pulock’s place on Tuesday night. Aho had appeared in Monday and Tuesday’s game and could be the immediate option for the Islanders before a more long-term solution is found.

The Islanders Islanders also have veteran Thomas Hickey in AHL Bridgeport as well as young defensive prospect Robin Salo waiting in the wings. The Islanders could look for a solution outside of the current group of players that they have.

It had been speculated that the Islanders were planning to bring in additional help on the blue line, but that it would come closer to the trade deadline.