The New York Islanders' second buyout window is open as of 5 PM ET on Monday. It will close on Wednesday at the same time.

The club was awarded the buyout window after forward Alex Jefferies filed for salary arbitration on July 5 before settling on a one-year, two-way deal on July 31. 

Per PuckPedia, the Islanders can only buy out a player with a cap hit north of $4 million, and it must be someone who was on the roster by the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.

The one name that comes to mind is forward Ondrej Palat, who the Islanders acquired from the New Jersey Devils along with a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick for forward Maxim Tsyplakov on Jan. 27. 

Palat, who makes $6 million annually for one more season, struggled mightily with just one goal and four assists in 29 games. He recorded just four goals with six assists in 51 games for New Jersey before the deal. 

But, because Palat has just one season left on his deal, there's no real need to buy him out since the Islanders don't need the cap relief at this time, with a little under $3 million in space after making a few depth moves this summer. 

If the Islanders did want to buy out Palat, his cap hit for the 2026-27 season would be $2.7 million, saving the Islanders $3.3 million. However, the Islanders would have him on the books at $1.65 million for the 2027-28 season. 

The Islanders are looking to have as much roster and cap flexibility as possible next summer, so buying out Palat just doesn't make much sense. 

One could argue about the Islanders buying Palat out to create another roster spot for a prospect, but unless someone outside of Victor Eklund (2025, No. 16) earns a starting role, there isn't a dire need at this moment in time. 

If another prospect or depth player earns a role, Darche can make room in other ways.

Palat is expected to play on the Islanders' fourth line this season.