The New Jersey Devils have traded forward Ondrej Palat, a 2026 third-round pick, and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the New York Islanders for Maxim Tsyplakov.
First the Islanders trade with the Rangers getting Soucy. Now the Islanders complete a trade with the Devils acquiring Palat a 2026 third round pick and a 2027 6th round pick for Maxim Tsplakov #njdevils #isles
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) January 28, 2026
Trade Talks Have Cooled Involving Dougie Hamilton and the New Jersey Devils
Ahead of the trade, the Devils traded out forward Ondrej Palat for roster-related reasons as they took on the Winnipeg Jets Tuesday night. He was spotted leaving the building, and according to sources close to DevilsNation.com, a trade had happened with details being worked on.
Ondrej Palat is being held out for Roster Related Reasons
10-team trade list #njdevils
Was talking with alumni honoring MacLean
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) January 27, 2026
There had been speculation surrounding not only Ondrej Palat but also defenseman Dougie Hamilton. These were the two targets the Devils had been looking to move. New Jersey was in salary cap purgatory heading into the season. To make other moves, they need to clear cap space. Again, before moving on to steps B and C, Step A needed to be completed first.
Obviously, clearing space was an issue for them, given the Quinn Hughes saga that surrounded the team. Ultimately, it was the main reason why they didn’t get him.
Similar to Hamilton, Palat had a 10-team trade list with a full no-movement clause, meaning the Devils just couldn’t put him on waivers. However, the Devils were looking to move on from the forward. And going to the Islanders makes sense given his connection to new GM Mathieu Darche.
Devils Rumors: New Jersey Looking to Add a Goal Scorer
Darche and Palat were together in Tampa Bay when the Lightning won back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships and made the final in 2022, losing to the Colorado Avalanche. That was the type of veteran leadership Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald wanted when he brought in Palat to grow with this young group.
However, things did not work out as planned. Palat could not find his groove with the Devils, and that five-year deal at $6 million a season was anchoring down the team’s ability to make additional moves. The time was right for him to be traded.
The 208th pick of the 2011 NHL Draft has recorded 515 points (181 goals and 334 assists) in 876 regular season games with the Devils and Lightning. In 155 Stanley Cup Playoff games, Palat recorded 103 points (51 goals and 52 assists).
?Night Cap Recap ?
Devils Trade Ondrej Palat #njdevils #isles pic.twitter.com/yZPgzWFwrH
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) January 28, 2026
New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald: “Where We Are At is on Me“
The Devils pick up $3.75 million in cap space this year and next, adding Tsyplakov, who makes $ 2.25 million per season. It will be interesting to see what the next move is for the New Jersey Devils and Tom Fitzgerald. Do they go after a center, a scoring winger, or something else?
But as DevilsNation.com has been reporting, Ondrej Palat was probably on his way out before Dougie Hamilton.
