The New Jersey Devils are holding out veteran forward Ondrej Palat for “roster-related” reasons against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
Luke Glendening is playing in place of the 34-year-old between Paul Cotter and Connor Brown.
Palat has been at the center of NHL trade rumors for several weeks alongside teammate Dougie Hamilton.
The 10-year NHL veteran owns a 10-team trade list, giving the Czech forward jurisdiction on a potential landing spot.
In 51 games this season, Palat’s scored four goals and 10 points.
He’s had an underwhelming Devils tenure after he signed a five-year, $30 million contract in July 2022.
He carries a $6 million cap hit.
In 248 games with the Devils, Palat netted 38 goals and 54 assists for 92 points. As a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning prior to his Devils tenure, Palat was better known for his playoff prowess.
Palat delivered in the postseason, netting three goals and nine points in 17 playoff games with New Jersey.
Palat’s resume in Tampa Bay far exceeds his time with the Devils. He scored 143 goals and 280 assists for 423 points in 628 regular season games. And in the postseason, he was a playoff hero for the Lightning, with 48 goals and 46 assists for 94 points in 138 playoff games.
He secured two Stanley Cups with the Lightning, netting five goals and 13 assists in 2020-21 and 11 goals and 10 assists in 2021-22.
The Devils have been searching for ways to clear some cap space. General manager Tom Fitzgerald admitted he’d like to add a top-six forward as the playoffs are still a goal for the Devils in 2025-26, despite sitting five points out of playoff position as of Tuesday.
Palat was one of the first six players named to Team Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
