Scott Perunovich was traded to the New York Islanders by the St. Louis Blues on Monday for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
The 26-year-old defenseman could debut for the Islanders against the Colorado Avalanche at UBS Arena on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+). He has six points (two goals, four assists) in 24 games and last played Jan. 4, skating 15:36 in the Blues' 6-4 loss at the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Perunovich can become a restricted free agent after the season.
The trade was done hours after the Islanders announced defenseman Ryan Pulock and goalie Marcus Hogberg are out indefinitely with upper-body injuries sustained during a 3-2 overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. Pulock left 15 seconds into his first shift after he got tangled up with Hurricanes forward Jackson Blake behind the Islanders net. He has 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) and is plus-7 in 48 games while averaging 21:55 of ice time.
New York is without defensemen Noah Dobson (lower body), the team leader at his position in goals (six), assists (18), points (24) and average time on ice (24:01), and Mike Reilly (heart surgery).
Defenseman Tony DeAngelo was signed for the remainder of the season and made his Islanders debut Saturday.
"You don't like losing players -- there's no doubt about it, especially the way they both were playing," coach Patrick Roy said Monday. "They were playing really well for us, so I mean, they're bad losses and important ones, but at the same time, it gives opportunities to other guys to take advantage of it."
Hogberg did not come out for overtime Saturday after making 24 saves. Goalie Jakub Skarek was recalled from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League on Monday with Semyon Varlamov (lower body) still on long-term injured reserve.
"It's honestly laughable at this point," Islanders forward Mathew Barzal said. "It's just, like, when's it going to stop? But at the end of the day, we've banded together throughout every injury this season. [Pulock and Hogberg] are two real key guys for us. We'll just have to find a way."
Perunovich had 29 points (two goals and 27 assists) in 97 regular-season games, and four assists in seven Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Blues since he was chosen in the second round (No. 45) of the 2018 NHL Draft. He won the 2020 Hobey Baker Award, given to the top player in men's NCAA hockey, after he had 40 points (six goals, 34 assists) in 34 games as a junior at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
NHL.com independent correspondent Stefen Rosner contributed to this report
