Islanders Acquire Blues Defenseman

The New York Islanders addressed their needs on the blue line and completed a trade with the St. Louis Blues to improve it. The Islanders announced that they acquired defenseman Scott Perunovich from the Blues in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round draft pick.

The news comes just a few hours after the Islanders announced one of their top defensemen, Ryan Pulock, was placed on Injured Reserve. The team has dealt with injuries all season long, and bringing in Perunovich gives the team another NHL caliber defender.

Perunovich arrives on Long Island having spent his entire career with the Blues organization. The team selected him in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft following an impressive display at the United States Hockey League and developing further at the Uniersity of Minnesota-Duluth in the NCAA.

He made his NHL debut with the Blues during the 2021-2022 season, playing in 19 games and collecting six points. He spent the entirety of 2022-2023 in the American Hockey League before taking a huge step forward in 2023-2024. He played in 54 games and registered 17 assists.

This year has been a trying one for Perunovich. Playing in just 24 games, he has two goals and six points while averaging less than 15 minutes of ice-time. The Blues attempted to have him run a power play unit at the beginning of the campaign, but he struggled to command the unit.

What Perunovich does bring to New York is mobility from the blue line. He's a strong skater, can recover quickly in the neutral and defensive zones, and can make outlet passes with some efficiency. The Blues have been tinkering with their own blue line all season long and it's been clear that the 26-year-old had fallen out of favor in St. Louis. He gets a new chance with the defensively-needy Islanders, where he's hoping to secure a permanent role in their top six.