Islanders sign Pelech to 8-year deal with reported $5.75M AAV

The New York Islanders signed defenseman Adam Pelech to an eight-year contract, the team announced Friday.

The deal carries an average annual value of $5.75 million, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. Pelech entered the offseason as a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.

The soon-to-be 27-year-old has emerged into a first-pair defender for the Islanders, excelling in shutdown minutes against top competition.

Adam Pelech, signed 8x$5.75M by NYI, is one of the league's top shutdown defencemen who is more responsible than anyone else for the Isles' analytical glowup since the 2020 bubble. #Isles pic.twitter.com/ghSDuCqqbA

- JFresh (@JFreshHockey) August 6, 2021

Pelech appeared in all 56 games for New York in 2021, registering 14 points while averaging over 21 minutes per night. He's played a crucial role in the Isles advancing to the conference finals in back-to-back seasons.

The Islanders selected Pelech in the third round of the 2012 draft.

With Pelech signed, Anthony Beauvillier and Ilya Sorokin are New York's remaining RFAs.

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