Discover how Palat's Stanley Cup pedigree and shutdown ability outweigh his contract concerns, fitting the Islanders' bottom-six needs perfectly.
Forty-eight hours ago, the New York Islanders had serious questions about what their direction might end up being.
Fast-forward, and the Islanders turned Maxim Tsyplakov and their own third-round pick into defenseman Carson Soucy, winger Ondrej Palat, the New Jersey Devils' third-round pick, and a 2027 sixth-round pick.
The reaction hasn't been overly positive thus far. Just looking at Palat's four goals and 10 points in 51 games this season for the Devils, it's easy to assume that's the whole story.
Palat, ultimately, did not fit systemically with the Devils and never blended well. Oftentimes, he was even asked to do too much in their lineup given his age.
With the Islanders, he almost assuredly won't be asked to be more than a shutdown bottom-sixer who can occasionally contribute offense, something he can do.
Palat's analytics match those of a reliable defensive forward who can kill penalties. He's a great fit for the Islanders' locker room, too. People always talk about how good the room is, and there's no question that Palat and his two Stanley Cups-worth of experience will fit in.
Heck, if you want to see how much Palat means, just look at New Jersey's actual reaction when asked after their game last night.
First, their captain, Nico Hischier, who was visibly emotional postgame:
Then, their coach Sheldon Keefe heaved praise all over Palat, showing how vital he was, especially with the little things:
Forgetting everything else, leaving that kind of mark on a team shows what type of player Palat is. There's no question who the Islanders are acquiring, something Islanders' General Manager Mathieu Darche knew from his time in Tampa Bay with Palat.
The big question's been how and why the Islanders are willing to swallow Ondrej Palat's contract both for this year and next.
Palat, 34, has a contract through the end of next season with an AAV of $6 million. That's a lot, but it's not crippling for the Islanders. Not in any way.
Entering yesterday, the Islanders had amassed roughly $9.75 million in space, with Kyle Palmieri, Semyon Varlamov, Alexander Romanov, and Pierre Engvall all on long-term injured reserve.
Swapping out Tsyplakov's $2.25 million hit for Palat's $6 million is a non-issue for the Islanders. They added assets in two draft picks in the process.
Online, there's been some hand-wringing about not getting enough for swallowing Palat's contract, but this is largely based on previous deals in a flat-cap environment. Gone are the days of giving up three picks for a team to swallow Andrew Ladd's deal.
That's no longer the reality of the NHL, nor is it the reality for the Islanders. After this season, both Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau's contracts come off the books, clearing an additional $12 million. That, plus the salary cap's projected rise of $8.5 million, and you can already see why it's not that big of a problem.
Including everyone on LTIR, the Islanders have a total cap hit of $98,737,522. That's just $3.237 over the cap.
The Islanders are still currently projected to have over $24 million to play with this summer when their UFAs come off the books. That's before Semyon Varlamov's contract is taken away, and includes Pierre Engvall's $3 million. One more year of Palat's contract is not going to kill this team.
Only Lee, Pageau, Tony DeAngelo, David Rittich, and Carson Soucy would be the UFAs.
All this to say, the Islanders' cap situation is just fine. They've also got another $6 million and change to go out and acquire more talent now if they so choose.
Another issue raised has been helping the Devils out. In reality, the Devils aren't much better off. They have comparable space thanks to LTIR this year to add, but considering New Jersey is sitting 12th in the conference, it's doubtful they'll be major buyers.
They've got no money coming off the books this summer and need to pay Simon Nemec. They've still got their own problems to solve.
Most importantly, if you're Darche and you get offered these assets, you take them. It's that simple. If he didn't do this all out of concern for what New Jersey *might* do with some added space, then he's the wrong guy for the job.
Darche's goal for the Islanders is the playoffs. They want Matthew Schaefer and Calum Ritchie to experience playoff hockey.
Ask yourself, 48 hours ago, what were the team's biggest needs?
The most common answer would've been a bottom-pair defenseman, and some added stability to the forward group.
Consider that done and done. Next up, presumably, would be adding scoring to the roster. Darche has time, and as he did in the last 48 hours, cap space to leverage to get one of those.
Soucy and Palat are expected to debut tonight against the New York Rangers inside UBS Arena.