Tom Fitzgerald very well may have just saved his job offloading a hefty contract weighing on his team. The New Jersey Devils trade Ondrej Palat, a 2026 third-round pick, and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the New York Islanders in exchange for project forward Maxim Tsyplaklov.
No salary was retained by the Devils for Palat.
Palat’s disappointing four-year tenure with the Devils comes to an end with 38 goals and 54 assists for 92 points in 248 games.
In 2025-26, Palat netted four goals and 10 points.
The Devils signed Palat to a five-year contract in July 2022 that carried a $6 million cap hit.
In return for Palat, the Devils are getting a big-bodied left-shot Russian forward in Tsyplakov, standing at 6-foot-3, 203 lbs. The Islanders brought the 27-year-old forward to Long Island as a KHL free agent.
In 27 games this season, Tsyplakov’s scored just one goal and one assist.
Yet, in his rookie season with the Islanders, Tsyplakov netted 10 goals and 35 assists.
The new Devils forward comes to New Jersey with a year remaining on his contract after the 2025-26 season. He carries a $2.75 million cap hit and doesn’t have any protection from trade.
The Devils free up $3.25 million in cap space by bringing in Tsyplakov for Palat.
That comes, of course, after the Devils and Dougie Hamilton went public with trade speculation. However, after the injury to Luke Hughes, it appears the Devils defenseman is staying put.
Tsyplakov was brought to North America after a breakout KHL season in which he netted 31 goals in 65 games with Spartak Moskva.
The Devils trade with the Islanders comes just one day after the Isles traded with the New York Rangers in a deal that included Carson Soucy.
That means the Islanders have made two in-division trades in two days with two direct rivals.
The Devils sit five points out of a playoff spot, while the Islanders hold third place in the Metropolitan Division.
