NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey Devils traded Ondrej Palat to the division rival New York Islanders on Tuesday night, moving on from the veteran winger they had been trying to deal for quite some time.
The Devils sent a third-round pick in the draft this year and a 2027 sixth-rounder with Palat for 27-year-old Maxim Tsyplakov. The Islanders took on Palat’s entire $6 million salary cap hit for this season and next.
The 34-year-old Palat was seen leaving New Jersey’s arena prior to pregame warmups before Tuesday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. The Devils said he was being held out for roster-related reasons, suggesting a trade was in the works.
The Islanders made a second acquisition from an area team less than 24 hours after acquiring defenseman Carson Soucy from the New York Rangers on Monday night. The Islanders have shifted into contending mode in large part because of the stellar play of No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer, who is the front-runner to be the NHL’s Rookie of the Year.
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The Devils have for several months been discussing trading Palat and defenseman Dougie Hamilton in an effort to clear cap space.
“These are two respected players,” New Jersey general manager Tom Fitzgerald said Jan. 14. “They’re very respected in that locker room, and they will be treated with respect.”
Palat helped the Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021, and he is set to represent Czechia at the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics.
He had struggled to produce in recent months with the Devils, who rank 29th out of 32 teams in scoring. Palat has just 10 points on four goals and six assists through 51 games, but he brings a championship pedigree and could be leaned on for his leadership.
“Ondrej, he’s a great pro, and he cares, and he really wants to push and help,” Fitzgerald said two weeks ago. “Our players admire him. No, his production isn’t where anybody envisioned it. But it was more the person, the experience, to come in to help our young guys understand what winning looks like from his experience.”
In addition to being younger, Tsyplakov has a more affordable contract, counting $2.25 million against the cap through the end of the 2026-27 season. The Russian had been in and out of the Islanders’ lineup, logging a goal and an assist in 27 games.
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