The New York Islanders were hoping to return to the playoffs for a third straight season, but would fall short, finishing sixth in the Metropolitan Division. Now, the Islanders turn their focus towards the offseason. One major question for the Islanders is the future of free agent Kyle Palmieri.

Kyle Palmieri is coming off another solid campaign with the Islanders. He finished the year with 24 goals and 24 assists, which was good for 48 total points. While it was a slight decrease in production from his 2023-24 campaign, it was better than his first two full seasons with the Islanders. Still, the Isaldners are not getting the same production they expected when they brought him in during the 2020-21 season. From the 2015-16 season through the 2019-20 season, Palmieria had scored 24 or more goals while having 44 or more points in each season.

The Islanders are projected to have the cap space to bring back Palmieri if they choose to do so. According to Cap Wages, the Islanders are expected to have $39 million in cap space this offseason. Palmieri is expected to cost just over $5 million in cap space this year. If the Islanders choose not to re-sign Palmieri, here are the other three best destinations for him this offseason.

Palmieri reunites with the Devils

Kyle Palmieri, who is originally from Smithtown, New York, was traded back to his hometown area by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2015 off-season. The trade was huge for both Palmieri and the Devils. The Devils scored well, and Palmieri was highly productive. In his first season with the Devils, he had a career high in both goals and assists. Palmieri would continue to produce for New Jersey, having over 20 goals and 20 assists in each full season he was with them.

Meanwhile, the Devils have noted they need to make changes to go further in the playoffs. The core of the Devils' attack is under contract for the next few years. Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Jack Hughes are all under contract for the foreseeable future. Still, they need to add second-line scoring to pair with Bratt. Bratt led the team in points this year with 88. Still, his primary linemates, Ondrej Palat and Dawson Mercer, both scored under 40 points this season. Further, the Devils are projected to have over $21 million in cap space this year, which should allow them to make a run at Palmieri.

Palmieri returns to the West Coast

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Palmieri started his career on the West Coast. He spent his first five seasons in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks. While he was not very productive there, with his best season being just 71 games with 14 goals and 17 assists, a return west could be good for Palmieri. The Kings need scoring depth, especially if Andrei Kuzmenko leaves in free agency.  The Kings have already brought in a new GM to start their offseason and will be looking to upgrade their roster.

Los Angeles scored 3.04 goals per game, ranking them 15th in the NHL this past season. Further, they were 27th in the NHL on the power play. Palmieri would instantly be an upgrade on the power play unit. Further, he would give some flexibility to the top lines of the Kings. He could join Alex Laferriere and Quinton Byfield on the second line, giving the third line a 35-goal scorer in Kevin Fiala. He could also join the third line, giving the third line a top-scoring option. The Kings are projected to have $23 million in cap space, which will be more than enough to re-sign some of their own players and bring in Palmieri.

Palmieri stays in New York

The New York Rangers also need scoring depth. First, this would allow Palmieri to stay in the area, moving to the cross-town Rangers. Second, it could provide a replacement for Will Cuylle if he cannot be brought back. The Rangers could also trade off Chris Kreider. Kreider will count for $6.5 million towards the cap next year, and the Rangers have just $11 million in Cap Space. Signing Palmieri and trading Kreider could give over a million in cap space to the Rangers.

This would also improve production for the third line while saving the Rangers money. Kreider scored just 22 goals last year, as compared to the 24 goals of Palmieri. That was a steep decline for Kreider as he dealt with injury. More concerning where the assist numbers. Kreider had just eight assists last year, as compared to the 24 of Palmieri. Further, Kreider was not a major player on the power play, having just seven power-play points. Bringing in Palmieri could provide similar, if not better production, while allowing the Rangers financial flexibility to bring back other players.