Mathieu Darche is on a buying spree as the New York Islanders’ general manager. On Tuesday night, he acquired forward Ondrej Palat from the New Jersey Devils along with a third-round draft pick and a sixth-rounder in exchange for winger Maxim Tsyplakov.
The Islanders are retaining Palat’s salary, which is $6 million AAV, for the two years left on his contract. This retention is why they received two draft picks. The third-rounder takes the place of the one they traded to the New York Rangers for defenseman Carson Soucy on Monday night.
Palat has had a tough season with the struggling Devils, with only four goals and six assists in 51 games. Over his first three seasons with New Jersey, the 34-year-old tallied 82 points in 197 games.
Moving to New York reunites him with Darche, whom he worked with at the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that won two Stanley Cups. During his decade with Tampa, Palat was a key middle-six player, averaging 56 points per 82 games.
In New York, Palat is expected to serve as a bottom-six forward and contribute to the penalty kill, while adding veteran depth to the Islanders’ lineup. After Kyle Palmieri’s season-ending injury in November, head coach Patrick Roy has been shuffling the wings, using players like Tsyplakov, Max Shabanov, Kyle MacLean, and Marc Gatcomb.
Tsyplakov, in his second season with the Islanders, recorded just one goal and one assist in 27 games.
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