![\"Ondrej](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260128_MORNINGSKATE_NYI-31.jpg\" "\\"Ondrej")
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Ondrej Palat<\/p>\n
Dennis DaSilva\/New York Islanders<\/p>\n
ELMONT, NY \u2014\u00a0Do not underestimate the power of a fresh start, which is exactly what Ondrej Palat needed after struggling for years with the New Jersey Devils.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
The two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning hit a roadblock with the Metropolitan Division club, and those struggles came to a head this season with just four goals and six assists in 51 games. But a lifeline was provided on Tuesday night when his former assistant general manager from Tampa, Mathieu Darche, acquired him to round out his New York Islanders\u2019 attack.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think [that a fresh start is important,\u201d Palat said after his first morning skate with his new team on Wednesday. \u201cI obviously had a bad year in Jersey. They traded me, I\u2019m here, I want to be better, help the team to win\u2026 I\u2019m glad I\u2019m on this side now, and I\u2019m super excited to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Palat\u2019s first practice saw him slot in on the second line alongside center Bo Horvat and right-winger Anthony Duclair. The production might suggest that such a spot is warranted, but this is a savvy winger who helped anchor some star-studded lines in Tampa, playing alongside the likes of Nikita Kucherov or Brayden Point.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI would love to just produce a little bit more than in Jersey,\u201d Palat admitted. \u201cBut I\u2019m not here to score 50 goals a season. Just here to bring the two-way game that\u2019s very important in this league and play the right way. Wherever the coach puts me, I will do my best to help the team win.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s that mindset that will help head coach Patrick Roy lengthen his lineup a bit more. After Kyle Palmieri\u2019s season-ending injury in November, New York\u2019s forward depth had been tested, with little resolution on the wings of the bottom six.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tsyplakov was one of the options who could not secure regular playing time, nor could Kyle MacLean or Marc Gatcomb. Palat will likely maraud throughout the lineup as the Islanders\u2019 playoff push progresses, but his two championships, 155 playoff games, and 103 postseason points<\/a> are invaluable to bring into a team that was not expected to be here this season.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a low-maintenance guy,\u201d Darche said of Palat. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t worry about who he\u2019s playing with. He\u2019s a competitor, an awesome person, an awesome teammate\u2026 I know his character, but he\u2019s not the vocal guy that\u2019s going to scream and jump, but he\u2019s a real pro. He\u2019s got great leadership, he competes every game, even when things were tougher for him in New Jersey when his minutes went down. I was watching the games. He competes. Sometimes veteran guys like that when things don\u2019t go well, they can drag their feet a bit\u2026 he was competing the same way, and that shows me that his mindset is in the right spot\u2026 he brings that winning pedigree.\u201d<\/p>\n