The New York Islanders took a swing on Ondrej Palat at last year’s NHL trade deadline, and now they may be staring at the downside of that bet.
Palat arrived with the promise of bringing experience and help to the roster, and he did make an immediate impact. After that, though, the production flattened out, with only a couple of goals down the stretch to show for it. That’s why his deal has become such a problem heading toward the 2026-27 season: the Islanders need to find a way out of it if they can.
The issue is simple enough. Palat can still bring grit and reliability to the bottom six, but the contract is heavy enough that it starts to look hard to justify unless the scoring follows.
If he doesn’t get to 20+ goals this season, selling a $6 million cap hit will be a tough ask. Without that kind of offensive punch, there isn’t much of a business case for paying him that much.
That was the gamble when Mathieu Darche brought him in, and it’s one the Islanders may have to live with unless Palat starts fast and gives the team a reason to believe the contract is worth the price.
Moving him won’t be a simple fix, either. The Devils had trouble finding a trade partner for Palat last season and found virtually no interested parties, which is why they had to sweeten the deal to get the Islanders to take on the final year and a quarter of the contract. Now the Isles are carrying the full cap hit themselves, and other teams are likely to look at that number and hesitate all over again.
Still, it’s a situation the Islanders will have to keep in mind as the season goes on. If they’re in the playoff race, Palat’s cap space could become a valuable chip for adding help down the stretch. For now, though, the likeliest outcome is that New York is stuck with him this season.
Palat will be a UFA next summer, so the Islanders won’t be on the hook beyond that. A return to Long Island isn’t off the table, but if it happens, it won’t be at $6 million AAV. The only real question left is whether Palat can come close enough to the contract this season to change the conversation.
In Other News...
Islanders Aging Core May Be Headed For A Bigger Reckoning
The Islanders are heading into the 2026-27 season with a roster that looks a lot like the one they already had, and that is the point. Aside from Anders Lee moving on and Matias Maccelli coming in, the group has barely changed, leaving New York as the sixth-oldest team in the league by average age, even before factoring in 19-year-old Victor Eklund, who is expected to push for a spot out of camp or be among the final cuts.
The bigger issue is what comes next. Ondrej Palat, Kyle Palmieri and Casey Cizikas are all set to hit unrestricted free agency next summer, Semyon Varlamov is in the same position, and the trade protection on Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield is about to loosen. With Kashawn Aitcheson also knocking on the door of a larger role, the Islanders may soon have to decide whether to keep leaning on the same core or start making harder choices about how long that core can stay intact. [Read more 🡒]
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Matthew Schaefer is already talking like a player who understands the weight of being watched, and that matters for the Islanders as much as any highlight-reel play. In a recent interview, the young defenseman offered Gavin McKenna a simple message about the next step in his own path: enjoy the experience, keep working hard and stay present. It was the kind of advice that comes from someone who has had to navigate his own growth and appreciates how quickly a promising career can start to feel real.
Schaefer also made clear he was happy for McKenna and looking ahead to their early-season meeting, which is expected to come in Toronto. For a player trying to establish himself as a cornerstone, there is something telling about the way Schaefer is already framing these moments. He is not just thinking about his own rise, but about the pressure, the spotlight and the chance to meet it head-on when the schedule brings the two together. [Read more 🡒]