Mathieu Darche made a quick move, pulling off a notable trade. The Islanders have brought Ondrej Palat back into the fold, rekindling a connection after his challenging stint in New Jersey that lasted over three seasons.
The deal involved the Islanders acquiring Palat, a Czech winger, along with reclaiming a third-round draft pick that had recently gone to the Rangers as part of a trade for Carson Soucy.
In return, the Devils sent a third-round pick and a sixth-round pick from 2027 for the final year of Palat’s contract, which carries a $6 million cap hit that wraps up in 2027. It seems the Islanders viewed this as a chance to offset the loss of Kyle Palmieri, who is sidelined with a torn ACL.
Max Tsyplakov is heading to New Jersey, possibly benefiting from a much-needed fresh start as he had been struggling to make an impact on the lineup. He still has one year left on his contract with a cap hit of $2.25 million, which gives the Islanders a net cap increase of $3.75 million.
Palat’s recent performance hasn’t been stellar—he has only 10 points in 51 games—but the Islanders are hopeful he can step up. The weight of expectations seems to rest on whether he can regain the level of play that helped him secure multiple Stanley Cup titles with the Lightning during their successful run.
Despite previous speculation about Palat possibly being traded, it became complicated when the Wild beat the Devils in the Quinn Hughes sweepstakes, which limited the options for Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald due to Palat’s no-trade clause.
If Palat can channel his past success with the Islanders as he did in New Jersey, his cap hit could remain consistent. Darche, who has firsthand experience with Palat from their days in Tampa, might just be the person to help Palat rediscover his game.
