Where might Ondrej Palat end up next?

Be it via trade, or buyout, there's a real chance the New Jersey Devils move on from the veteran winger this off-season.

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The New Jersey Devils could very much use cap space and getting Ondrej Palat’s contract off the books is the most obvious way to create additional flexibility.

Palat is universally loved in the Devils organization. The NHL is a business, though, and $6 million is a hefty price to pay for a sub-30 point player who spends a healthy chunk of his time playing in the bottom-6. It’s simply not a good allocation of dollars.

Palat’s no movement clause turns into a modified no-trade clause on July 1, when he must submit a list of 10 teams he’s willing to be traded to (same with Dougie Hamilton).

While two more years at a $6 million cap hit would be a lot for teams to swallow, the price of Palat isn’t as costly in real dollars.

Palat will collect a $1 million signing bonus on July 1. After that is paid out, $8.9 million will be owed over the next two years – an average of $4.45 million.

That could make him a little more attractive than he looks on the surface to a team sitting on mountains of cap space that might not be as interested in cutting checks.

If the Devils can’t find a reasonable trade, buying Palat out would save them $2.46 million in 2025-26, and $3.46 million in 2026-27 before hitting them for $1.48 million per the following two years – albeit at a time when the cap will be soaring.

I’ll defer to CapWages for the full details.

So, which teams stand out as fits for Palat if the Devils (smartly) decide to move on?

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks have so much money to spend. So, so, so much money. They were swimming in cap space to begin with. A rising ceiling coupled with some bad money coming off the books (Robby Fabbri makes $4 million, Brock McGinn makes $2.75 million, etc.) leaves them with nearly $40 million in space and Lukas Dostal as the only notable restricted free agent to take care of.

There are a handful of spots to fill on the roster, too, but the Ducks could go big game hunting in free agency – let’s say they land Mitch Marner, for example – and still have plenty of money left.

Many of the most talented players on the Ducks are young and inexperienced. Jackson LaCombe is 24, Mason McTavish is 22, Cutter Gauthier is 21, Olen Zellweger is 21, Pavel Mintyukov is 21, Leo Carlsson is 20, and on it goes.

It’s not as if the Ducks don’t have any veterans but I could see them wanting more to help show these guys the ropes.

Palat is a multi-time Stanley Cup winner who GM Pat Verbeek knows extremely well from his team as an assistant GM in Tampa Bay. He could fit the bill.

Would the Ducks be on Palat’s 10-team trade list? Only he knows. Living in California while playing for an up-and-coming team looking to take the next step could be appealing, though.

San Jose Sharks