Devils Trade Veteran Forward to Islanders

On Jan. 25, Breakaway On SI spotted New Jersey Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald in the press box during the team's eventual 4-2 loss at the Seattle Kraken.

While a GM traveling with his team is not always indicative of a trade, this time it was. Against the Kraken, Ondrej Palat played a near season-low TOI of 9:19. His actual year-low TOI was 9:10 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 4. Following the events in Seattle, Palat was held out of the New Jersey lineup during the Jan. 27 matchup against the Winnipeg Jets for roster related reasons. Less than one full hour later, The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta posted that Palat had left the arena.

Fans wondering where he would end up did not have to wait long. The Devils have since received forward Maxim Tsyplakov in a trade with the New York Islanders in exchange for Palat and New Jersey’s third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, as well as the club’s sixth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

#NEWS: We've acquired forward Maxim Tsyplakov from the New York Islanders for forward Ondrej Palat, a 2026 third-round draft pick, and a 2027 sixth-round draft pick.

📰: https://t.co/i1nAl6yDMY pic.twitter.com/Ynx5jUudOj
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) January 28, 2026

Palat has 515 points (181 goals, 334 assists) across 876 NHL games played. The left winger was signed as a free agent by New Jersey in July of 2022.

Who Is Maxim Tsyplakov?

Only having to commute from the Islanders, Tsyplakov will not have to travel far to get to his new club.

Tsyplakov, 27, is in the midst of his second season and played in 77 games with the Islanders in 2024-25. The 6’3”, 205 pound, forward has recorded 37 career points (11goal, 26 assists) and 45 penalty minutes in 104 career regular-season games. Tsyplakov made his career debut and also scored his first goal in the process on Oct. 10, 2024, against Utah. The left-shot winger recorded seven multi-point games last season, which ranked tied for seventh with the New York club.

Tsyplakov is in the first year of a two-year, $4,500,000 million contract ($2,250,000 million average annual value). It was signed on July 25, 2025. Palat had signed a five-year, $30,000,000 contract ($6,000,000 million AAV) on July 13, 2022.

Pagnotta has also noted that the Isles will be taking the full amount for Palat, with no retention by New Jersey.

Palat had only 10 points for the Devils throughout the current 2025-26 season, with four scores and six assists. The news came in the midst of New Jersey's ongoing game against the Jets, which was at 1-1 by the conclusion of the first period.

Jan 21, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; New York Islanders forward Maxim Tsyplakov (7) is pictured during a game against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Palat was previously a key player in the Tampa Bay Lightning's run to the Stanley Cup back in 2020. After not scoring one goal during Tampa Bay's first nine postseason games, Palat scored 11 in the final 16 — this included three posted throughout the Lightning's six-game victory against the Dallas Stars in the eventual Stanley Cup Final.

Prior to the conclusion of play against Winnipeg, the Devils are sitting with 56 points in the Metropolitan Division with a 27-23-2 overall record.

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