The New Jersey Devils finally made a long-awaited move on Tuesday night. The Devils traded veteran forward Ondrej Palat, a 2026 third-round pick, and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the New York Islanders in exchange for beleaguered Russian winger Maxim Tsyplakov.
Let’s not mince any words about this trade. It was evidently a costly cap dump trade for the Devils. The club has wanted to move Palat and his onerous cap hit for quite some time. Palat’s cap hit, in addition to Dougie Hamilton’s, were the purported reasons why New Jersey couldn’t make the Quinn Hughes trade work.
That said, the Devils were still adamant about clearing cap space to add further pieces to the roster. They achieved that with Tuesday night’s trade. The club managed to send Palat without any salary retention. While they had to take Tsyplakov back, that was part of the costly transaction.
The additional draft picks sent to the Islanders, while not first or second-rounders, were still an expensive part of doing business.
In an ideal world, the Devils would have traded Palat for a comparable player or one who could actually support the team. Instead, getting Tsyplakov is more of a reclamation project. The 27-year-old forward has two points in 27 games. He went from being a highly anticipated acquisition for the Islanders, to becoming an outcast.
The Devils will likely give Tsyplakov a fresh start, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see him land on waivers at some point this season.
Devils Be Looking to Make Other Deals
With Palat finally off the Devils’ books, the club will be looking to make other additions. The club has needs across the board as injuries have not facilitated things this season. The chatter surrounding the team has posited the search for a center, depth scoring, and potentially another blueliner to offset the loss of Luke Hughes to injury.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Devils target another depth forward to replace Palat in the lineup. New Jersey can’t really count on Tsyplakov stepping in and having an immediate impact. While the change of scenery could certainly help the Russian import, that’s not something the Devils will be banking on.
Entering Tuesday night’s action, New Jersey was seven points out of a playoff spot. While that’s not an insurmountable gap, they’re running out of runway to close in on a postseason berth. That’s why there’s a clear sense of urgency in New Jersey to turn things around ASAP.
Palat Connection to Islanders Makes Sense
Moving Palat to the Islanders of all teams might raise some eyebrows. However, there’s a clear connection between Palat and Long Island. Isles GM Mathieu Darche was an assistant GM for the Tampa Bay Lightning during the former Devils’ tenure with the Bolts. Palat was a key piece in the Lightning’s Stanley Cup runs.
As such, the connection between Palat and Darche is likely the key reason why the Isles pulled the trigger on this deal. For the Islanders, it’s a massive win. The team recouped the 2026 third-round pick it spent on Carson Soucy, while adding a sixth-rounder to boot. That pick could end up becoming part of another deal for the Isles. It could just be another lottery ticket for the Islanders in next year’s draft.
Devils Lose Out in Late-Night Cap-Dump Trade with Division Rivals