Trade: Blues & Islanders Swing a Deal
Will the New York Islanders be buyers or sellers at this year's deadline? For right now, they're in buying mode, acquiring defenseman Scott Perunovich from the St. Louis Blues.
#Isles Transaction: The New York Islanders have acquired defenseman Scott Perunovich from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a conditional 5th round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 27, 2025
It's a nice under-the-radar move for the Isles, as they send a conditional 5th-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft to the Blues in return.
The 26-year-old Perunovich has played in 24 games this season and recorded two goals and four assists for six points, while playing 14:37 per night. The offensive defenseman was never able to win a permanent role on the St. Louis blueline, but in brief stints in the AHL in recent years he's shown some definite skill as a playmaker, recording 37 assists in 39 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds from 2021 through 2023.
He was a second-round selection by the Blues (45th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft. He had recorded 105 points in 115 games with the University of Minnesota Duluth, and won the Hobey Baker Award in 2020 as the top college player in the U.S.
Dobber Prospects writes that Perunovich is a "tremendous skater with high-end vision and a good first pass. Very real offensive upside".
Nice low-key move by the Islanders.
Photo: © Jeff Curry-Imagn Images