The New York Islanders traded for Carson Soucy in a deal with the New York Rangers on Monday. That was apparently their first shot of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, as they made their next move around 24 hours later. Ondrej Palat is now headed to Long Island after a deal with the New Jersey Devils.
On Tuesday, the deal became official. Palat was heading to New York, alongside a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick. In exchange, the Devils received forward Maxim Tsyplakov. There is no salary retention in this deal.
Palat has been a consistent figure in the trade rumor mill over the last few months. After plenty of discussion, the veteran winger joins an Islanders team looking to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. How does this deal work out for both sides? Here are our grades for the Ondrej Palat trade between New York and New Jersey.
Ondrej Palat's Devils tenure ends in a whimper
The Devils signed Palat back in 2022, hoping he'd be an important piece of a Stanley Cup puzzle. He was coming off his second consecutive Cup victory with the Tampa Bay Lightning. And he was an integral part of that victory. The veteran forward scored 11 goals and 21 points in 23 games that postseason.
Unfortunately, things did not work out. Palat played just 17 postseason games with the Devils, scoring three goals and nine points. Even worse, his regular-season performances were nothing to write home about. In fact, he never scored more than 31 points in any of his three full seasons in Newark.
The Palat era in New Jersey ends in a whimper. What comes out of it remains to be seen, as well. The Devils aren't getting anything particularly exciting in this trade. Tsyplakov is an intriguing enough change of scenery candidate, as he had 35 points last season. However, he has two points this year, and at 27, it's unlikely he improves much more than what we've already seen.
Perhaps more important to the Devils is the added cap space. As mentioned, there is no salary retention here. As a result, New Jersey cleared about $3.75 million in cap. This gives them a little less than $7 million in total cap space to work with.
It's not a lot, but there is some added flexibility for New Jersey. They have their work cut out, as they are nine points back of the East's final Wild Card. But they have the chance to make a move to improve their roster. Either way, getting out of Palat's contract is a win for the Devils.
Islanders add depth, experience for postseason push
The Islanders are a bit of a surprising contender this season. It wasn't long ago that this team was a regular participant in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, those days have long since passed. Last season, they didn't even make the playoffs.
Rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer has energized this Islanders squad. And they currently hold down the third seed in the Metropolitan Division. This would put them in the playoffs if they held on. At this time, holding onto this spot is the key.
Soucy gave New York important defensive depth at a relatively low cost. The Palat trade is a bit more complicated. On one hand, there's little risk here for the Islanders. Tsyplakov was not producing at all, and clearly did not have the trust of the coaching staff. Moving on from him, adding an experienced forward, and getting draft picks seems like good business.
On the other hand, New York does not significantly improve after this deal. Palat gives them experience, but he's on pace for fewer than 20 points this season. He's a proven playoff performer who hasn't proven himself in the playoffs in half a decade at this point. Taking on a $6 million cap hit for this season and next for a player with legitimate question marks is a big risk.
In the end, there is more to like than there is to hate. The questions about Palat's ability are legitimate. At the same time, they can buy out the contract rather painlessly this summer if need be. Furthermore, they replenished the third-round pick they paid for Soucy in this deal. Essentially, they traded Tsyplakov for Soucy, Palat, and a sixth. That's certainly not bad business in the slightest.
Grades and final thoughts
The Devils and Islanders do just enough to earn slightly above-average grades for the Ondrej Palat trade. Overall, this trade is a shuffling of the deck. There's nothing truly inspiring here. There's nothing that makes you believe one team wins more than the other. It's easy to understand why both teams made this move. This is an environment where fans and media are quick to crown one team the king in a trade. For this one, both sides made out just fine.
New York Islanders grade: B-
New Jersey Devils trade: B-
