Ondrej Palat's Future: Top Spots He Could End Up
The New Jersey Devils need to shed Ondřej Palát's contract this offseason, but where could he end up?
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We may be in the middle of an all-time great Stanley Cup after the Edmonton Oilers' thrilling overtime win last night, but the offseason will begin before you know it. That means it's back to work for the New Jersey Devils and general manager Tom Fitzgerald.
The first order of business will be clearing cap space, and it starts by shedding Ondřej Palát's $6 million cap hit. They won't be able to make the necessary improvements without moving his contract, but where could he end up? Here are three potential destinations.
Anaheim Ducks
I know the Anaheim Ducks just acquired Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers, but they still have a boatload of cap space. Even after adding Kreider's $6.5 million cap hit, they have about $32 million in cap space, meaning they're below the salary floor.
The Ducks could still use some veteran presence in their lineup, even after acquiring Kreider. While they have some veterans, it's still a young group built around Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, Olen Zellweger, and plenty more.
Palát may not be the player he used to be, but I'm sure there are GMs around the NHL who still think highly of him because of his resumé. He has plenty of playoff experience and is one of the highest-scoring playoff performers among active players.
There are also a couple of Tampa Bay connections in Anaheim with GM Pat Verbeek, forward Alex Killorn, and defenseman Radko Gudas. Aside from the great weather in Anaheim, having some familiar faces could appeal to Palát.
It certainly was a factor in Kreider waiving his no-trade clause to go to Anaheim since there are so many Rangers connections with the Ducks. It's also worth noting that Joel Quenneville was a significant factor in Kreider OK'ing a trade to Anaheim, and it could be for Palát, too.
Palát's no-trade clause moves to a 10-team yes list on July 1, but even if the Ducks aren't on his list, he could waive for them as Kreider did. Time will tell, but there is a fit.
Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings are in a similar spot to the Ducks. They've been bottom-feeders for a while, though they have made up some ground in recent years. There's likely pressure on GM Steve Yzerman to make this team competitive for 2025-26.
Acquiring Palát seems counterintuitive to becoming a playoff team in 2025, but it would not shock me if Yzerman has interest in bringing back one of his draft gems from Tampa.
The Red Wings don't have as much cap space as the Ducks, but they certainly have plenty to afford Palát, as they sit with just above $22 million in cap space as of this writing.
One idea I had floated to me was the Devils trading Palát to Detroit and taking one of their bad contracts. Two options are Vladimir Tarasenko and Justin Holl, who both have one year left on their deals.
To be clear, I'm not saying the Devils would acquire Holl to play him. They'd acquire Holl and buy him out immediately, taking on a dead cap hit of $1.13 million for two years. You'd love to clear Palát's contract without adding a dead hit, but if it's what you have to do, it's what you have to do.
However, it'd be a different story with Tarasenko. We know the Devils' interest in him dates back to the 2021 offseason. He did not have a great 2024-25, totaling 11 goals and 33 points, but some underlying metrics point to him still having something left in the tank (no pun intended).
Tarasenko finished with an 8.3 shooting percentage, well below his career average of 12.6 percent. If we look at his player card from JFresh, he was mostly the same player he's been the last few seasons, but the sharp dropoff in finishing led to his decline in point production.
If the Devils think Tarasenko's struggles this season were mostly due to poor finishing, and there's evidence to suggest that's the case, he might be worth a flyer.
He's popped up on multiple trade boards, so the Red Wings appear open to moving him. He has a $4.75 million cap hit for the final year of his contract, so the Devils should still be able to make other moves to improve their roster after acquiring him.
Let me make it clear that acquiring Tarasenko is not my preferred option. It's not even top five or 10, but I could see the Devils doing it. If his shooting luck rebounds and he's a 20-goal, 50-point scorer, that'd be a massive improvement over Palát and for $1.25 million less on the cap with no long-term commitment.
Boston Bruins
I had trouble thinking of a third team for Palát, but the Boston Bruins could make some sense. They don't rebuild, so taking on Palát's contract might not be something they want to do, but maybe they also envision him as someone who could help the bottom of their lineup.
The Bruins have plenty of cap space; $27 million, to be exact. They can afford Palát no problem, and it may be a place he has no problem waiving his no-trade/no-move clauses for.
One) Boston is a great city, and the Bruins are well thought of around the league. Two) Countrymen David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha, and Jakub Lauko are part of the organization. It's a team I could see Palát waiving his NTC for or having part of his 10-team yes list because there should be a level of comfort there.
Could the Devils Actually Net an Asset for Palát?
At one point, I thought the Devils would almost certainly have to give up a sweetener to move Palát. That may still be the case, but the Rangers getting assets in return for Kreider makes me believe the Devils could get something, even if it's close to nothing.
Kreider had 30 points last season, while Palát had 28. It's a shallow year for free agency, so maybe the Devils get a mid-round pick in return if they aren't doing a potential player swap, as they could with the Red Wings.
Regardless, the Devils need to find a new home for Palát. There are other contracts they can and should move to free up cap space, but it gets difficult to improve the roster without shedding Palát's $6 million cap hit.