The New York Islanders have had one of the best defenses in hockey over the last couple of season. Led by top-pairing Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech, this defense played a major role in the last two postseason runs.

But after the defense struggled to start the 2021-22 campaign, Islanders head coach Barry Trotz had no choice but to separate his top defenseman.

With the Islanders on a four-game point streak, the shake up on defense has paid off. But is keeping Pelech and Pulock apart a long-term answer?

The Islanders came into this season with a few question marks on defense. Who would replace Nick Leddy and his skill set? Could the ageless wonder Zdeno Chara be a serviceable defenseman still? Would the pairing of Andy Greene and Scott Mayfield be effective enough?

Although we

The biggest concern has been the play of Zdeno Chara, the 44-year old, who had struggled to do the simple things alongside the developing Noah Dobson.

With Nick Leddy gone, Andy Greene became Scott Mayfield’s partner, but that experiment was short lived