Islanders confirmed Tsyplakov’s fate in Palat trade

The New York Islanders dropped a bit of a bombshell on Tuesday by sending beleaguered forward Maxim Tsyplakov to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Ondrej Palat and two draft picks.

The writing was pretty much on the wall for the 27-year-old Russian forward. Tsyplakov had just one goal and one assist in 27 games this season. His nifty assist in Monday night’s 4-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers was a nice way for the second-year winger to go out.

But that assist was hardly reason enough to keep him around. It became painfully evident that Tsyplakov had fallen out of favor on Long Island. After a solid rookie season, his horrific sophomore slump sealed his fate.

As such, jettisoning him to New Jersey for another beleaguered forward allowed both clubs to rid themselves of their respective hot potatoes. For the Islanders, trading Tsyplakov was more a matter of giving the Russian import a fresh start. In New Jersey, he’ll likely get another shot at becoming a meaningful contributor. While he won’t likely crack the top six, he’ll at least get a shot at showing why he was one of the hottest scorers in the KHL.

As for Palat, the deal actually makes sense for the Islanders. The connection between Mathieu Darche and Palat makes sense. The Islanders likely wanted an experienced forward who could chew up minutes in the bottom six. Adding Palat wasn’t necessarily about landing a bona fide scorer. It was more about giving Patrick Roy a grinding forward who could be relied upon to play tough minutes. 

Palat gives the Islanders another gritty forward, a role that Tsyplakov really wasn’t suited for. Plus, the fact that there’s a history between Palat and Darche makes this deal a sensible one for the Islanders.

The big story is Palat’s cap hit. As PuckPedia reported, the 34-year-old’s remaining cap hit this season is $2.5 million. That’s something the Isles can handle at this point. Moving forward, the Islanders will have to bear his full $6 million cap hit next season. But that’s a story for another day.

In the meantime, the hope is that Palat will be ready to debut for the Islanders when they next play on Wednesday night against the Rangers.

Palat trade shrewd move for Islanders

Since there was no retention involved, the Islanders managed to extract a couple of extra pieces from the Devils. In addition to Palat, the Islanders landed a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 sixth-rounder. In essence, the Islanders got the pick back they sent to the Rangers for Carson Soucy.

The sixth-rounder, meanwhile, is just another lottery ticket for the Islanders. Nevertheless, there’s always the possibility that pick may turn into something. It’s worth remembering that the NHL Draft is laced with magic beans. 

Getting the extra picks also means the Isles have more dry powder for additional deals. As such, there’s always the possibility that the Isles could pull off another trade, using the extra pieces they have attained. The Isles now have two first-round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, and one pick in every round except for the second. Considering the Islanders own the Colorado Avalanche’s first-rounder, it’s safe to assume that pick is practically a second-rounder.

It’s also plausible to assume that the Islanders are not done making moves. The club has other depth needs. Another defenseman and forward wouldn’t hurt, especially with the impending sprint to the finish following the Olympics.