Devils trade Ondrej Palat and picks to the Islanders for Maxim Tsyplakov

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Instead of suiting up for the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night, Ondrej Palat said goodbye to his teammates in the home locker room and left the arena an hour before puck drop. He is not going far.

The Devils traded Palat to the division-rival New York Islanders, moving on from the veteran winger they had been trying to deal for quite some time. The Devils sent a third-round pick in the draft this year and 2027 sixth-rounder with Palat for 27-year-old Maxim Tsyplakov.

“We’re going to miss Pally,” coach Sheldon Keefe said after a 4-3 loss to Winnipeg. “He’s a tremendous guy, great leader, often is the example in terms of hard work and competitiveness (in) practices, games.”

The Islanders took on Palat’s entire $6 million salary cap hit for this season and next. General manager Mathieu Darche is very familiar with Palat from their time together with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“It’s sad to see him leaving,” Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler said. “For him, it’s a new opportunity and I hope he makes the best out of it.”

Captain Nico Hischier called it a very weird scene sending off Palat while preparing to play a game. Siegenthaler said he and his teammates “kind of got caught off guard” by the move.

The trade was being worked out before Palat could get dressed for warmups, and the Devils said the 34-year-old was being held out for roster-related reasons. It was announced during the first period.

“It’s challenging,” Keefe said. “It’s not ideal. It happened so close to the game. … It’s part of the deal. Got to press on and get ready for the game. That’s just the reality of it. Got to be a pro in those moments.”

The Islanders made a second acquisition from an area team less than 24 hours since getting defenseman Carson Soucy from the Rangers on Monday night. They have shifted into contending mode in large part because of the stellar play of No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer, who is the frontrunner to be the NHL’s rookie of the year.

The Devils have for several months been discussing trading Palat and defenseman Dougie Hamilton in an effort to clear cap space.

“These are two respected players,” GM Tom Fitzgerald said on Jan. 14. “They’re very respected in that locker room, and they will be treated with respect.”

Palat helped Tampa Bay win the Stanley Cup back to back in 2020 and ’21 and is set to represent Czechia at the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics. When New Jersey signed him to a $30 million contract as a free agent in 2022, it signaled the organization thought Palat could help take the next step.

“Everybody in here knows what Pally meant to this team, to this organization,” Hischier said. “He’s a guy that won it. He’s a guy that taught us a lot.”

Palat struggled to produce in recent months with the Devils, who rank 29th out of 32 teams in scoring. He has just 10 points on four goals and six assists through 51 games but brings a championship pedigree and could be leaned on for his leadership.

“A a lot of that stuff doesn’t show up on the score sheet,” Keefe said. “I know he’s given a hard time here because of that, but he’s a tremendous person, a tremendous character, and for a team that’s been trying to get there, he’s a guy that’s been there, done that and sets the example in lots of ways.”

Tsyplakov in addition to being younger is also cheaper, counting $2.25 million against the cap through the end of the 2026-27 season. The Russian had been in and out of the Islanders’ lineup and has a goal and an assist in 27 games.

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