Scot Perunovich will be a game-time decision for the Islanders after being acquired in a trade on Monday.

On Monday, the New York Islanders acquired Scott Perunovich from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a 2026 conditional fifth-round pick.

On Tuesday, the 26-year-old hit the ice for a morning skate, donning No. 26. Per head coach Patrick Roy, the newcomer will be a game-time decision but is expected to play. 

"It's a great opportunity. I'm a puck-moving defenseman, and we have a lot of great forwards, so my job is to get the puck to them as quickly as possible and let them do their thing. 

"I think, like, half the team is Minnesotan, so that makes it a little easier. But no, I don't know anyone too well, but obviously, if you're from Minnesota, you have a bond there, so it's nice to have these guys."

Drafted in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft, Perunovich didn't develop at the rate St. Louis thought he would, in large part due to injuries. 

"Yeah, it was a surprise, but I think I knew something was probably coming," Perunovich said. "Yeah, it was tough. That's a great team over there with a lot of friends, so it's definitely sad saying goodbye, but you have to do what's best for you, and this is it.

"I was talking to Leddy yesterday. He had nothing but good things to say [about the island]. "Said I'm not going to have any problems & that it's a great group of guys, great staff, and it should be a pretty easy transition." 

Here's what Roy had to say about his newest defenseman. 

"In the games that we watch, we feel like he's going to help our power play, so he'll play there, and excited to give him a chance to play for us," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said. "[My message to him is] go out there and enjoy yourself. Don't worry too much about the structure. I know that St Louis played a different coverage than we do. 

"These guys know how to play man-on-man and dice or whatever it is. So at the end of the day, just go out there and play free, and we'll see how it goes."

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