The New Jersey Devils may have lost to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night, but before the game began, news broke that forward Ondrej Palat was inactive.
Later on in the night, it was announced that Palat had been traded to the New York Islanders along with New Jersey’s third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and the club’s sixth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft in exchange for forward Maxim Tsyplakov.
The trade was finalized right before the game began, head coach Sheldon Keefe explained.
"It's challenging. It's not ideal. It happened so close to the game. He's there saying goodbye to all the guys,” Keefe said to NJD.tv. “It's challenging, but it's part of the business, part of the deal. You have to press on and get ready for the game. You have to be a pro in those moments. That's the reality of it."
The team played without the left winger and fell 4-3 to the Jets. Lenni Hameenaho scored his second NHL goal, but it was not enough for a comeback.
While the team suffered another loss, Tsyplakov's addition took the headlines that night.
Tsyplakov is in his second season in the NHL, having recorded 2 points in 27 games.
The Devils were able to offload Palat’s entire $6 million salary cap hit for this season and next.
The team had reportedly been discussing trading Palat for some time; his hefty contract was not aligning with his production for the Devils this season.
In return, the Devils acquired Tsyplakov, a younger, less expensive player. Captain Nico Hischier shared how he felt about Palat’s sudden departure.
"Definitely not easy. Everybody in here knows what Palat meant to this team, to this organization. He's a guy who won it. He taught us a lot. A great teammate. It's never easy to see a guy go like that, but we wish him all the best. We all know it's part of the business."
The Devils now prepare to face the Nashville Predators on Thursday at 7 PM.
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