It is well documented that the New Jersey Devils lost out on prize free agent Johnny Gaudreau. After the deal with Columbus was completed, that took several by surprise, it most likely left Devils’ general manager Tom Fitzgerald and staff scuffling for what’s next.
Well, appears Fitzgerald and staff figured it out late Wednesday night as the team reportedly signed former Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ondrej Palat. After the Gaudreau signing, Palat was arguably the best wing remaining on the market. New Jersey was able to nab him and come away with a very strong constellation prize. The reported contract is a five-year deal worth $6,000,000 annually.
Palat, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, had been a staple of the Tampa Bay Lightning dynasty for a while. The 31-year-old was on the open market for the first time. He is coming off a year where he totaled 49 points in 77 games. Palat has plateaued in the 40-point range the past three seasons. Albeit, two of the last three were shortened so he was on pace for a little more than that in each season. Overall, he profiles more as a playmaker, but has saw a large uptick in his finishing the past couple years.
Palat also uses his size pretty well. He is listed at six foot and 194 pounds. Though, he has registered 100-plus hits in all of the seven seasons he has played at least 60 games in. This is probably the least important aspect of his game, however, the Devils, and some fans, have been clamoring for some size. Palat plays in a way that fits this need and want very well.
Worth pointing out as well, Palat did all this while not averaging more than 16:30 of ice time in a single season over the past four years. One would hope, in a bigger role with New Jersey, all these numbers will rise to a 20-plus goal scorer and 55-60 point contributor. Especially at the price New Jersey paid.
As the above shows, Palat is a terrific two-way winger. He does everything well, five-on-five, power play, even penalty kill when he has been asked. Just an all-around superb, two-way, top-six winger. Something that will benefit New Jersey immediately.
Not to mention, Palat automatically comes in with the most postseason experience of anyone on the roster. Of course, New Jersey has to get there first. But, Palat brings 138 career playoff games and two Stanley Cup championships with him. A much-needed presence in the locker room.
The Contract
As mentioned above, the rumored Palat deal is a lengthy five years at $6,000,000 annually. A contract, for a 31-year-old, that certainly brings risk.
The above, per Dom Luszczyszyn of the Athletic, shows exactly that. The first couple of years should provide some value to the Devils. However, after that, entering ages 33 and 34 seasons, still being paid $6,000,000, certainly may not end up going well.
When projecting Palat’s contract before this signing. We were alluding to a potential three-year deal worth around $5,500,000 annually. We also discussed how anything more than three would bring a lot of risk and something the Devils should shy away from.
Final Thoughts
Bottom line, it appears the Devils overpaid to bring Palat in. Now, they are getting a very strong, ’do-it-all’ player which should help tremendously. Both given his performance as well as overall veteran experience.
Sometimes, teams have to overpay in free agency to get what they want. That’s the nature of adding via that market. Is it a sustainable model for success? No, but when a team who really does not have any of these types of deals on the books does it, it’s a much easier pill to swallow.
| Jesper Bratt | Jack Hughes | Alexander Holtz |
| Ondrej Palat | Nico Hischier | Dawson Mercer |
| Yegor Sharangovich | Erik Haula | Tomas Tatar |
| Miles Wood | Jesper Boqvist | Nathan Bastian |
At the end of the day, it’s okay to acknowledge that the New Jersey Devils both got a very strong player, who should provide to be an immediate upgrade. While also understanding, in doing so, most likely paid too much.