Like lightning, Mathieu Darche struck twice.
And, like the Tampa Bay Lightning, Darche is now reunited with Ondrej Palat.
Less than a day after trading with one crosstown rival for Carson Soucy, the Islanders completed a deal with their other crosstown rival to bring in Palat. The full deal saw Palat, New Jersey’s third-round pick in 2026 and its 2027 sixth-round pick go to the Islanders in exchange for Maxim Tsyplakov.
Ondrej Palat of the New Jersey Devils takes a shot during the second period of the game against the Edmonton Oilers. NHLI via Getty ImagesThe third-round pick essentially gives the Islanders back the pick they gave to the Rangers for Soucy, and came as the cost of taking on Palat’s $6 million annual cap hit, with the Czech winger’s contract expiring in 2027. Tsyplakov, who looked in need of a fresh start having struggled to crack the Islanders lineup, will get just that in New Jersey.
Tsyplakov also has another season left on his deal at a $2.25 million annual cap hit, so the net add to the Islanders books is $3.75 million. If they max out their long-term injured reserve space, the Islanders still have a hair over $6 million available, so by no means does this trade indicate they are done adding.
Palat, who has 10 points in 51 games this season, struggled for much of his 3¹/₂- year stint in New Jersey, but looks likely to slot into the Islanders lineup as a middle-six winger.
Whether the acquisition works out or not will likely depend on whether the Czech winger can recover the form that saw him be a key contributor for the Lightning as part of an extended run that included two Stanley Cup wins and two more appearances in the Cup Final.
It’s been believed for some time that Palat could be on the move, and Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald’s inability to accommodate the winger’s 10-team no-move clause came to the fore when the Wild beat New Jersey to the Quinn Hughes sweepstakes.
If Palat is the same player for the Islanders he was for the Devils, then his cap hit will become the same weight on Long Island as it was on New Jersey.
Darche, however, knows the player well from his days in Tampa, and presumably believes he can help him find what’s been missing from his game.
