Over the past decade, Adam Pelech has arguably been the NY Islanders’ top defenseman. Since joining the organization in 2026, there’s a noticeable difference in the way this team plays when he’s in the lineup.
Heading into 2026-27, there isn’t much flexibility to improve this roster without shipping someone out. And to improve the team, the player who could fetch the most value is Pelech.
A defensive defenseman in every sense of the word, Pelech is a workhorse. Though he’s been injury prone throughout his career, the 31-year-old played all 82 games this season, finishing second in TOI, averaging 20:53 a night, trailing only Matthew Schaefer.
It’s hard to imagine this Islanders team being better without Pelech, but the organizational depth at LHD is what could make him expendable. The Islanders have Marshall Warren, Isaiah George, and Travis Mitchell, who we’ve seen with the team this season, and additionally, Kashawn Aitcheson, the 17th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Mathieu Darche, who will spend his second off-season with the Islanders, will likely be looking to improve his team on the right side of defense and the top-6 wings. With RHDs being harder to come by, and a potential trade partner likely unwilling to give up an RHD for an LHD, a team with excess wingers could become an ideal trade partner.
According to the DFO Podcast, Mike Greir and the San Jose Sharks will be looking to add a veteran defenseman to the roster this offseason. A team with one of the deepest prospect pools has an abundance of young wingers, including Quentin Musty and Igor Chernyshov -not to mention William Eklund, who’s played the last three seasons in the NHL, and is the brother of Islanders’ prospect Victor Eklund.
If the Islanders are looking to shop Pelech, there will be an abundance of suitors. Giving up a player of his stature would leave a hole in the lineup, but he’d garner the biggest return for a team looking to contend.
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