Monday night saw the New York Islanders pull off a late-night trade for New York Rangers defenceman Carson Soucy.
The next night, the New York Islanders would pull off yet another trade.
On Tuesday night, news broke that the New York Islanders acquired veteran forward Ondrej Palat, a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and a sixth-round pick in the 2027 draft from the New Jersey Devils. Going the other way was Maxim Tsyplakov.
The Islanders are seemingly acquiring veteran talent to help convert a 28-19-5 start into what would be a sixth playoff berth in eight seasons. That said, Ondrej Palat hasn't exactly had the greatest season thus far; he's only recorded ten points (four goals and six assists) through fifty-one games played.
However, there is familiarity between Palat and the Islanders. General manager Mathieu Darche served as the Tampa Bay Lightning's Director of Hockey Operations/Assistant General Manager during Tampa Bay's two Stanley Cup triumphs, which Palat was a part of. This awareness could potentially have played a part in the Islanders' interest in acquiring Palat. As a result of the trade, the Islanders now have some veteran experience to lean on as the team looks to make an impression on a wide-open Metropolitan Division.
For the New Jersey Devils, this trade can be seen to serve a few purposes. Firstly, it allowed the front office to clear the $6 million annual cap hit that came with Palat's contract at the low price of two mid-to-late-round draft picks. It also allowed for the roster to get a little younger; considering that Tsyplakov is only 27 and that the Devils are still trying to offload 32-year-old defenceman Dougie Hamilton, this trade makes sense in that regard. As well, New Jersey clearly bought into Tsyplakov's potential; despite an extremely slow 2025-26 in terms of production, the Moscow-born forward did tally 35 points in 77 games played last season.
Both teams will play each other on Thursday, February 5th.