Does Ondrej Palat have a Future In The NHL After This Season?

 

The New York Islanders have finished the season without making the playoffs. The team unceremoniously fired coach Patrick Roy after losing four games in a row on Apr. 6th, 2026. 

General manager Matthieu Darche would hire Peter DeBoer as coach, as he looks to reshape the team in his image. 

Now, as the playoffs begin to ramp up, there remain questions about the players on the roster. The team has seven free agents, and -$3.8 million in cap space. 

Difficult decisions will need to be made, and to save money for the road ahead, GM Darche could buy out one ineffective veteran, Ondrej Palat. 

The two-time Stanley Cup champion has played for the New Jersey Devils and the New York Islanders, with the depth forward having a limited amount of impact for both organizations. 

Is Ondrej Palat going to be bought out?#Isles pic.twitter.com/9MGwXwgnma

— dom (@datadomNY) April 19, 2026

The Downfall Began After 2022

The 900-game NHL veteran makes $6.0 million against the Islanders' cap, playing a total of 29 games this season, scoring 5 points (1-4) for the team. He was acquired in trade with a 2026 3rd-round pick and a 2027 6th-round pick for Maxim Tsyplakov. 

Those picks will help build towards an Islanders future, which may not include Palat, who was once considered one of the best third-line forwards in the league on the Tampa Bay Lightning when paired with Barclay Goodrow and Yanni Gourde. 

Now scattered across the league, Palat has found it difficult to be the same kind of player he was for the Lightning. 

He scored a career-high in points during the 2014-15 NHL season, 63 points (16-47) as a member of the Lightning, and has come close multiple times to that production, but never to replicate it. 

Are the Islanders poised to move on from the veteran, and what does the future hold in store for Palat?

David Kirouac-Imagn Images