In five appearances so far for the New Jersey Devils this season, Ondrej Palat has looked out of place, and not in a good way. Is it time to reevaluate what he contributes to the team?
The New Jersey Devils are off to a fairly good start in the 2024-25 season. I know most of us would be feeling even better if Tuesday’s game resulted in at least one point, but starting 4-2-0 still is a positive. There have been some concerns growing, including slow starts from some of the more premier players and some slumping/inconsistent play from at least one defense pair. Some of these things will begin to work themselves out as the season goes on, and some of the core players are already starting to contribute more on the scoresheet. Despite him not fitting into either of the above categories, Ondrej Palat is one Devil that I’m concerned about.
Signing with the team in the summer of 2022, Palat’s five year deal at $6 million per season seemed to bean overpay at the time. Since then, it has aged like milk; his first season was marred by injury, but he managed to post 23 points in the 49 games (0.47 points per game) he was healthy for. Last season saw better health and 71 appearances as a result, but only a slight bump up to 31 points, which amounts to fewer (0.44) points per game. Palat had been given time in the Top Six during portions of those two seasons, but seemed positioned to be a third line fixture for 2024-25.
Moving on to speak of this season, Palat has appeared in five of the team’s six contests so far; he missed the second game overseas due to the birth of his child. In those five games, if you asked me to point out a positive moment he’s had, I would be struggling to come up with something that even just kind of sort of fits. Anyone who has watched the team this season has seen that Palat has been flat out bad. If you have missed some of the games, you might be asking just how bad he is. First, his original linemates this season, Stefan Noesen and Erik Haula, have six and four points through six games respectively, while Palat has yet to register one. Additionally, Palat has been demoted to the fourth line, swapping spots with Paul Cotter, who has been off to a hot start.
Palat is also one of the few Devils to be a minus on the season right now. I know plus minus is a bit of a weird stat, but when the only other minuses of Curtis Lazar and (somehow) Nico Hischier, who are both only a -1, Palat’s -4 really stands out in a bad way. Worse still? He has a full no movement clause this season; it changes next season to allow for a 10 team trade list according to PuckPedia, but that doesn’t help the team this season when they are trying to be in win now mode. And honestly, unless the Devils are comfortable moving him as a cap dump, paired with picks/prospects/both or retaining on salary, I can’t imagine them wanting to move him when his value is so low.
The hope here has to be that Palat is still adjusting to Coach Sheldon Keefe’s system, and he bounces back soon. Right now, however, he is doing the Devils no favors on the ice; he looks lost when he’s taking a shift, and he’s either turning the puck over or losing battles along the wall. I would say to scratch him, but the only healthy scratch available right now is Kurtis MacDermid, and despite how poorly Palat has played, MacDermid isn’t an improvement. Palat continues to wear an “A” on his jersey, and I know one of the reasons for his signing was his leadership, but I don’t think it reflects well having a player with a letter impacting the team so negatively. With the Devils being a bit older, having a few more veterans, and Palat’s performance all factored in, maybe the team needs to look at rewarding another player here as well. At the absolute least, the coaching staff can stop giving him 10+ minutes of ice per night if it’s not helping the team.
I’m not sure there’s a quick solution to this issue unfortunately, as the Devils don’t have another player waiting, and the options in Utica aren’t exactly game breaking either. The Devils can maybe make small changes (again, like naming a different alternate captain) but for now, at least until the trade deadline, there may not be much the Devils can do to upgrade on Palat. As a longtime NHL player, he certainly has the potential to adjust and bounce back, but, as a veteran, there also comes a time where players begin to decline. If that’s the case, then Palat could be an anchor for the Devils, at least until they find someone within the organization that can surpass him and relegate him to the press box.
What are your thoughts on Ondrej Palat’s start to 2024-25; do you feel his play is hurting the Devils? Do you think there are other matters the team should be solving first that are more important to the group’s overall success? Is it concerning having Palat taking up so much cap space and adversely impacting the team? Leave any and all comments below and thanks as always for reading.