Tuesday night, just before the New Jersey Devils took the ice for a home game against the Winnipeg Jets and before the ceremony honoring franchise legend John MacLean, GM Tom Fitzgerald made a move that many had been calling for. 

He traded forward Ondrej Palat, plus a 2026 third-round draft pick and a 2027 sixth-round draft pick, to the New York Islanders for forward Maxim Tsyplakov. 

“It’s sad to see him (Palat) leaving,” Jonas Siegenthaler said after New Jersey’s 4-3 loss to Winnipeg. “We kind of got caught off guard for the game. But, at the end of the day, he’s done a lot for us and it’s part of the business, unfortunately. I wish him all the best. He’s a great guy. I think everybody loved him, and for him, it’s a new opportunity. I hope he makes the best out of it.”

With this one move, Fitzgerald has opened up roughly $3.75M in cap space. He also managed to move out a player who was no longer producing what the team needed from him. And in return, he acquired a player who had fallen out of favor on Long Island and is in need of a fresh start. After all, Tsyplakov showed last year (his rookie season) that he can provide a boost to a team’s bottom-six scoring production. As a rookie, he recorded 10 goals, 25 assists and 35 points in 77 games. 

Do those numbers “pop?” No. Do they represent an upgrade over what the Devils are currently getting from their bottom-six? Yes. Of course, it’ll be up to Tsyplakov to earn his ice time under Head Coach Sheldon Keefe. But given New Jersey’s scoring woes, he should receive a decent amount of runway to figure things out. 

“Yeah, definitely not easy,” Captain Nico Hischier said regarding the timing of the Devils finding out about Palat’s trade. “I think everybody in here knows what Pally meant to this team, to this organization. He’s a guy that won it. He’s a guy that taught us a lot. He was always a guy I asked for help if I need it. A great teammate. Obviously, it’s never easy to see a guy go like that. But, obviously, we wish him all the best. We all know that’s part of the business.”

“Yeah, it’s challenging,” Keefe said, echoing the statements of his players. “It’s not ideal, so close to the game. It’s challenging, but it’s part of the business. It’s part of the deal, you gotta press on, get ready for the game. That’s just the reality of it. You gotta be a pro in those moments. We’re gonna miss Pally. He’s a tremendous guy, great leader. Often, was the example in terms of hardworking, competitiveness, practices, games, so that’s a lot of that stuff that doesn’t show up on the score sheet. I know he was given a hard time here ’cause of that, but he’s a tremendous person, a tremendous character and for a team that’s been trying to get there, he’s a guy that’s been there, done that…We’re gonna miss him.”

New Jersey’s loss is Long Island’s gain. And Long Island’s loss in Tsyplakov is potentially New Jersey’s gain. Sure, the two draft picks, specifically the third-rounder, might seem like a bit much to give up, but that’s the cost of doing business. Plus, the freed-up cap space will potentially allow the Devils to make other moves ahead of the Trade Deadline in March. 

For now, it’s one small step. What comes next will be the key.