Devils send Palmieri, Zajac to Islanders in package deal

Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell | @InfernalAccess

Be sure to join the Discord channel to talk hockey, and everything else, with me and fellow subscribers.

Thinking of joining Infernal Access? Take advantage of the in-season special, which has been boosted to 27% off for the trade deadline.

---

Trader Tom has risen.

He made a lot of noise around last year’s trade deadline and, apparently, is ready to pick up where he left off.

Tonight, Tom Fitzgerald packaged Kyle Palmieri – the Devils’ most notable rental – and Travis Zajac to the New York Islanders in exchange for a 2021 1st round pick, A.J. Greer, Mason Jobst, and a conditional draft pick.

New Jersey Devils @NJDevils

🚨 TRADE ALERT 🚨 We have acquired AJ Greer, Mason Jobst, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2022 conditional fourth-round pick in exchange for Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac. #NJDevils | @investorsbank

There’s a lot to get to so I’m going to break things down in bullet form:

• The 1st round pick is absolutely the key here. Palmieri wasn’t fetching a 1st round pick by himself. He just wasn’t. His goal scoring rate is down (although I expect that to pick up down the stretch), as is his overall impact. But a year ago Palmieri was worth +11.1 Goals Above Replacement. This season he’s sitting at -1.1 GAR. Now, percentages have not worked in his favor. He was misused on the power play. The team dealt with COVID. There are plenty of reasons behind Palmieri’s struggles. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. There are more sellers than buyers and not many teams are willing to take on serious cash. Those factors, coupled with a down season from Palmieri, created an environment where his value dipped. By including Zajac, a favorite of Lamoriello’s, the Devils were able to turn something like a 2nd and a fringe prospect/late pick into a 1st. Going from, say, 60th and a low percentage lottery ticket to 30th is a big jump.

• ‘A 1st for Palmieri and Zajac? That’s not enough!’ Some people will undoubtedly feel that way. But I think it’s a product of the NHL world in a pandemic. I also think you have to factor Zajac’s NTC into all of this. He loved playing for the New Jersey Devils. I don’t think he would have waived his NTC for many other teams. Heck, it’s possible the Islanders were the *only* team he’d go to given a) their contender status; b) proximity to NJ and; c) his relationship with Lou. So using him to prop up the return is a tidy bit of business.

• Remember, Zajac wasn’t willing to leave New Jersey but a season ago. I think that’s because he had term on his contract. Moving on from the Devils for a few months and a chance at a Cup is easy to stomach. Doing it for the long haul is a different story. I think his heart is in New Jersey and it’s entirely possible he returns in a few months. I doubt he wants the headache of moving in the midst of a COVID-filled world and the Devils certainly have the cap room to fit him in – at any price, really – for another year or two. He’s great to have around for the kids. I think he’ll be back; unless he wants to play for free (relatively speaking) with the Islanders.

• As much as anything, I think Jobst was included to clear a contract and even things out. He is a 27-year-old with 15 points in 50 career AHL games. It’s possible he could help out in Binghamton in a depth role but he’s not going to be seeing action with New Jersey anytime soon.

• Greer was once fairly highly touted as a prospect. He’s a project now. He has 34 points in 57 games over the last 1.5 AHL seasons, which is nothing to write home about at his age. Greer is big and has a heavy shot but he’s not exactly a burner made for Lindy Ruff’s high-tempo system. He’ll be a good piece in Bingo; perhaps a Nolan Foote replacement when he makes the jump.

• All in all, I think Fitzgerald did fairly well here. 1st round picks won’t be changing hands much in the coming days. I mean, there’s plenty of talk Taylor Hall might not even fetch one (I realize he is having a down year). For Fitzgerald to get one for a player suffering through a down year, and a guy without an appetite to leave, is a job well done.

• It is worth noting Fitzgerald ate salary on Palmieri and Zajac, meaning the Devils can only retain money on one more player between now and the deadline. My guess is that happens with defenseman Ryan Murray ($4.6M cap hit).

• The Devils now have two 1st rounders in this year’s draft; this after making three picks in the opening round a year ago. Fitzgerald is being given a real opportunity to select highly skilled players of his archetype and build the long-term core as he sees fits.

  I know everyone is sick of the Devils losing but, man, they’re setting themselves up nicely for the future. Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Ty Smith, Mackenzie Blackwood and co. will be joined by Alexander Holtz, Nolan Foote, Dawson Mercer, and Shakir Mukhamadullin – as well as the guys selected in the 1st round this year – in the not too distant future. There’s light at the end of the tunnel.

  ---

  numbers via Evolving-Hockey.com, HockeyDB.com, NaturalStatTrick.com, CapFriendly.com and PuckPedia.com.