"Sometime after first puck drop the news broke that Palat was traded, along with draft picks, to the nearby New York Islanders for Maxim Tsyplakov with no salary retained. Palat never lived up to the large contract he signed with New Jersey after winning two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He still signed with a $6 million average annual value until 2027."
"Clearing cap space was a priority for general manager Tom Fitzgerald. It had to be. Lack of cap space was rumored to be what derailed the almost "destined by fate" trade for Quinn Hughes when he was sent to the Minnesota Wild instead. Another contract that the Devils tried to move was defensemen Dougie Hamilton. Being benched a game Hamilton seemingly lit a fire under the $9 million a year defenseman."
"Retaining no salary was seen as a major win for the Devils, but can we really consider this trade a win for Fitzgerald? Yes it solved a problem (Bleacher Report gave the Devils an A- grade for the trade). This was also a problem of Fitzgerald own creation by signing a contract with a price tag that almost always seemed doomed to fail."
John MacLean was inducted into the Devils' ring of honor while Ondrej Palat was omitted from the lineup for roster reasons. After the first puck drop, Palat and draft picks were traded to the New York Islanders for Maxim Tsyplakov with no salary retained. Palat had not lived up to the $6 million average annual contract he signed through 2027 after winning two Stanley Cups in Tampa Bay. General manager Tom Fitzgerald prioritized clearing cap space, a factor that reportedly derailed a potential Quinn Hughes trade. Attempts to move other large contracts, including Dougie Hamilton's, raised questions about no-movement clauses and contract decisions.
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