TL;DR
Adam Pelech's value is at an all-time high as the New York Islanders face depth issues on defense. With Alexander Romanov returning, Pelech may become a trade candidate despite his importance to the team.
With Matthew Schaefer's emergence as one of the NHL's best defensemen, along with multiple other young talents in Marshall Warren and Isaiah George pushing for NHL roster spots, the New York Islanders appear to be overcrowded on the left side of their blue line.
With Alexander Romanov sidelined since mid-November, the issue was overlooked, but with him expected to be healthy for the start of the 2026-27 season, that depth will become a key area to address this offseason.
One common name that has surfaced as a potential trade chip is Adam Pelech.
Pelech, who just played all 82 games of an NHL season for the first time in his career, turns 32 in August. However, his value may be close to an all-time high, leading some to view him as the odd man out.
Pelech's value, combined with the full no-trade clauses assigned to Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield through July 1, 2027, could leave him on the outside looking in. Still, trading Pelech would certainly weaken an already shaky Islanders defense.
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Islanders conceded the third-highest expected goals against per 60 minutes at 5v5 this season (2.93), ahead of only the Chicago Blackhawks (3.02) and Vancouver Canucks (2.94), the two worst teams in the league by the standings as well.
In terms of high-danger shot attempts against per 60 minutes, the Islanders again ranked third-worst at 13.03, ahead of only Chicago (13.66) and Vancouver (13.09).
However, with Pelech on the ice, the Islanders conceded 2.6 expected goals against and 11.72 high-danger shot attempts against per 60 minutes at 5v5. Compared to team-wide numbers, those rates would have ranked 12th-best in expected goals against and 20th-best in high-danger chances against, a significant difference.