Pelech 'Thrilled' to Sign Long-Term with Islanders

Adam Pelech is going to be on Long Island for a long time.
Pelech
inked an eight-year contract
with the New York Islanders on Friday morning, keeping a key piece of the Islanders defense corps. around long term. That was what the Islanders wanted. That was what restricted free agent wanted as well.
"I'm thrilled to be a New York Islander for eight more years," Pelech said via a Zoom call from the golf course. "Negotiations were smooth, I couldn't be happier with the result and looking forward to spending eight more years with this team."

Pelech, who is 10 days shy of his 27th birthday, will be 34 when his contract expires, which could make him one of the longest-tenured d-men in franchise history. Pelech was key cog in the Islanders back-to-back trips to the third round of the playoffs and continuing to build off of that foundation was ample reason to sign for max years allotted in the CBA.

"This is where I want to be, I couldn't be happier with the term," Pelech said. "All the guys here feel the same way, they know there is something special going on here and everyone is really excited to be a part of it."
Pelech is the first Islanders signing announced this offseason, as GM Lou Lamoriello looked to lock up his restricted free agents. Anthony Beauvillier and Ilya Sorokin are among the Islanders other RFAs. Lamoriello said during his season-ending conference call that retaining all three were a priority. Pelech's extension also means he and team avoid arbitration, which was scheduled for Aug. 11.
"The big emphasis on the offseason was to keep this group together as much as we could," Pelech said. "At the end of the day, if we can keep most of the team together, we'd be thrilled with that and that's what we want from the offseason. We want to keep this group together, we're a tight group and we know together we can do something special."
Pelech, the Islanders' 2012 third-round pick (65th overall), has been a mainstay with the Islanders since the 2016-17 season, but has emerged as one of the league's top defensive defensemen over the past three seasons. Since 2016-17, Pelech's 482 blocks rank third on the Islanders, while his 469 hits are second among Isles blue liners. This past season, Pelech was second on the Islanders with 25 takeaways, trailing only Mathew Barzal's 28. He's one of the Islanders most-used penalty killers, averaging 2:14 SH TOI/GP during the regular season.

As good as Pelech's play is without the puck, the defenseman has started to show increased confidence and creativity with the puck. Pelech's four goals this season - in an abbreviated 56-game season - were one shy of his career-high and included a terrific end-to-end shorthanded goal vs Washington. Pelech said if he can find ways to contribute he will, but he doesn't plan on deviating from his stingy defensive play.
"It's great if I can contribute, but at the end of the day, I'm a defensive player and I think it pays dividends to stick within your own game and do what you know makes you successful and the team successful," Pelech said. "I don't think there's going to be any reason to force anything with a new contract or anything, I just think it's just staying within yourself, play your game and do what's best for the team."
After finishing 2020 with a broken wrist, Pelech said he was fully healthy heading into the 2021 offseason, allowing him to train without any restrictions. Pelech said he's already been in the gym and on the ice, looking to get next season underway at UBS Arena. Now that the contract is done, Pelech can get back to focusing on what he does best.
"It's kind of a surreal feeling," Pelech said. "Relieved, excited, a lot of emotions."