Devils ship Zajac, Palmieri to Islanders

    I haven't watched as many New Jersey Devils games of late, mainly because of the period of time when it seemed like the Devils played and lost to the Washington Capitals every game (I'm not exaggerating, the Capitals and Devils played eight times this season and Washington has won all eight) and let alone the pain of being forced to watch on the Capitals network with the worst commentating team in hockey.

Still, I've been paying attention and the struggling team was certainly going to be a seller at the upcoming trade deadline.

Tom Fitzgerald moved early and traded the team'ss top asset as New Jersey traded Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac to the nearby New York Islanders for a package that included the Islanders' first-round draft choice in this year's draft.

Both Palmieri and Zajac will be free agents at the end of the season and both are thought to be willing to consider a return to the Devils with Palmieri's agent having talks with the Devils for the week previous to the trade as the two attempted to come to an agreement on a contract extension.

Zajac waived his no-trade clause to make the deal, likely because of the location and his past with the Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello and the Devils are possibly considering an attempt to work on a contract with him as a free agent as well.

The thirty-year-old Palmieri had sat out the past two games to keep him healthy for a possible trade but had seemed a bit down this season with eight goals and nine assists in thirty-four games with only one goal on the power play.

Palmieri has been one of the league's better power play scorers over the recent seasons as a Devil, so the Islanders are hoping that he returns to that form in blue and orange.

Zajac turns 36 next month and his long(eight-year) contract that he was signed to by Lou Lamoriello (two teams ago for Lou) finally ends at the end of next season.

I've thought the contract was an overpay ( in length), but Zajac's effort and leadership have never been in question, and it's sad to see him in another uniform.

Zajac has seven goals and eleven assists this season for New Jersey in thirty-three games for the Devils, but I'm not sure that Zajac will be more than a penalty killer or a situational player for the Islanders.

Still, he is a leader, might help on faceoffs a little, and for an Islander team that is going all-in for the second consecutive season (the Islanders have now traded their first-rounder at the last two trade deadlines)

The first-rounder is the centerpiece of the Devils' return as the Devils also received a conditional fourth-rounder to be decided by the Islanders for either the 2022 or 2023 draft and minor league forwards Mason Jobst and A.J. Greer.

The pick will become a third-rounder if the Islanders reach the Stanley Cup Finals, which gives Devils fans a conflicted decision for rooting for the Islanders in the playoffs.

The faster they go out, the higher the first-rounder will be, while the longer they last the better the chances that the fourth-rounder becomes a third.

Neither of the two players acquired should be considered prospects and are more than likely players to make the trade work that could help Binghamton.

At 27, Jobst has never played a minute in the NHL, and after a college career at Ohio State, Jobst scored five goals in 44 games for AHL Bridgeport last season and hasn't scored in seven games for the Flying Tigers this season.

The 24-year-old Greer scored one goal in thirty-seven games spread out over three seasons with Colorado but has spent the last two seasons in the AHL with Colorado, and this season with Bridgeport, Greer has scored a goal and an assist in ten games.

The former second-rounder seems the better bet to have a chance to stick around and maybe has a chance for promotion this season if the Devils make further trades, but I wouldn't count on him to be more than AHL filler or an occasional injury callup.

Honestly, I'm kinda "meh" on this trade.

Not for trading Palmieri and/or Zajac, I'm OK with that with impending free agency.

I'm not sure Zajac may not retire after the playoffs, and if he does play next season the Devils along with the Islanders and hometown Winnipeg Jets are likely the only teams that he might return to play for.

And a first-rounder is more than many expected to bring back for Palmieri.

However, that first-rounder is going to be near the back of the first round at worst, and in the low twenties at best, and the players involved have a better chance at being out of the organization by next season than they do as contributors to the Devils.

In the end, the Devils winning this trade will come down to how they use the Islanders first-rounder and that answer is several years down the road.

 

Palmieri hat trick not enough, Devils lose 7-6 in OT.

Normally, you would think five goals would win you a game.
Normally, you would think adding a sixth goal with seconds to play would win you a game.
Instead, it only earned the New Jersey Devils one point in a 7-6 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Rock.

Kyle Palmieri scored the third of his three goals of the evening with only eight seconds remaining in the game to force overtime before Tampa Bay's Tyler Johnson would beat Cory Schneider less than ninety seconds into overtime to end the evening.
Devils goals to Kyle Palmieri (4 Power Play, 5, 6), Jesper Bratt (2, 3), and Sami Vatanen (3) in the defeat.
The Devils will end this homestand against Philadelphia on Friday night before starting a five-game road trip in Raleigh against Carolina before the four-game road swing in Western Canada.

Hell Raisers

1) Cory Schneider was bad.
Bad might be a nice way of putting it.
Oscar the Grouch keeps more garbage out of his can than Cory Schneider keeps out of his net.
Schneider's play this year combined with two more years on his contract at six million each year, the Devils will have to eventually ( If they aren't already) consider buying him out before next season.
He's been that bad.

2) Now it wasn't ALL on Schneider, P.K. Subban screened Schneider on one goal, which is unfortunate since Subban plays for the Devils and it was Subban who didn't clear the crease and allowed Brayden Point to score from the inside.
Add to that the bad luck breaking of his stick on a slap shot attempt and resulting Lightning race down the ice to score with Subban without a stick and you had a pretty bad night for the highest-paid Devil.

3) And speaking of a bad night, how about Mr.Taylor Hall, who continued his goal drought with a performance that lacked zip to be kind.
Hall, he of one goal in October and looking for a big contract after the season, did have a secondary assist on Kyle Palmieri's second of his three goals, but Hall's play hasn't lived up to his resume' this season,
I was talking about Hall during the game and I gave him too much credit this season before looking up the actual numbers this season.
And what happens as I write this- Taylor Hall rips the fans for booing the power play when "we went one of three".
Being that I had seen a Baker Mayfield walk out of a press conference because he didn't like a question or its questioner earlier today, Hall was the second player to whine about something that they didn't like and in both cases it comes down to this- talented players that aren't playing well and are frustrated because they aren't, lash out due to that frustration.
I understand that but take care of business and these things go away.

4) Now for some news, three goals from Kyle Palmieri.
Three goals on six shots and plus Palmieri played with a bit more swagger than he had played with earlier in the season.
Palmieri seemed to be the bully on the ice all evening and when you look at his career, his goals often come in bunches and hopefully, this will be the start of a solid run for the veteran winger

5) Jesper Bratt returned from a scratch against Arizona to score two goals.
Bratt, like Palmieri, seemed to have opportunities throughout the game and adding two of those should keep him in the lineup for a bit.
I suppose the scratch for Bratt was to prove a point and hope to see Bratt's play step up, while others that are scratched more often, I have no idea what they are thinking.
For example, Nikita Gusev was scratched for this game and perhaps that's another "message", while Jesper Boqvist is scratched again and I'm just unable to figure out what the point is.

6) On the surface, the Devils have to feel good about getting a point in a game against one of the top teams in hockey, but I'm not.
The Devils had five days to prepare, had the game at home and Tampa Bay's starting their backup goalie in the seemingly 63-year-old and generally weak Curtis McElhinney.
All the ingredients were there for a victory and the Devils have a two-goal lead in the final period, only to blow another multiple-goal lead to barely escape with a point.
There are ways to be pleased with a loss and ways to be disappointed- this was a very disappointing loss.

7) The Devils need to win Friday against Philadelphia.
It's the last home game for twelve days and ends a six-game homestand worth a possible twelve points.
Right now they have earned a possible five of ten points and perhaps seven of twelve isn't anything to
puff your chest out over, but it's a ton better than five of twelve.
Lose that game with the dreaded Western Canada road trip ahead and if you think this has been ugly, imagine how that is going to look.

Devils trade for Kyle Palmieri

It will not be official until later today,but the New Jersey Devils have made their first move to bolster a flagging squad under new GM Ray Shero as the Devils traded their second rounder (41) that the team obtained from Florida for Jaromir Jagr and a third rounder in 2016 to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for right wing (and New Jersey native) Kyle Palmieri.

The former first round pick (2009) is just 24 and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season,but brings some badly needed speed to the team and being a native,may not be difficult to re-sign to a longer contract assuming the Devils will be willing to lengthen a deal.
Palmieri scored 14 goals in under sixty games last season and added 15 more in 71 games the previous year,so you figure in a full season,Palmieri should be good for 15 to 20 goals.
In addition,he scored five goals on the power play last year for a career high,so the winger may be developing into a power play threat.
At the same time,Palmieri is not huge (5'11),has had some issues staying healthy and has never scored more than 15 goals,which for a first rounder could be looked at as a mild disappointment.

The bigger question is Kyle Palmieri worth a high second rounder and a future third rounder in a organization that is badly in need of a retooling in their farm system?
Honestly,he could be,but if I were writing this right now-which I am,I lean towards no.
The third? Yes,but the high second in what is reported to be a very deep draft hits hard.
It doesn't seem to be a trade that makes me wince in pain and it is a deal that has the potential to be a good one,if Palmieri blossoms further,which he has shown flashes of doing.
However,for now-it seems to be a high price to pay for untapped potential....