New Jersey Devils Don’t Have To Trade Kyle Palmieri After Blake Coleman Trade

The New Jersey Devils just traded Blake Coleman to the Tampa Bay Lightning for two major pieces. Does that mean another piece in Kyle Palmieri is as good as gone?

The New Jersey Devils look a lot different on Monday morning after saying goodbye to captain Andy Greene and a player that was described as a “heart and soul” player in Blake Coleman. The latter of the two trades signal something very different from the Greene trade. It’s one thing to trade players on the final year of their contract, especially one like Greene who may retire. It’s something completely different to send a player on one of the most affordable contracts for a possible 30-goal scorer in the league.

The Coleman trade has everyone saying goodbye to another fan favorite in Kyle Palmieri. Palmieri is the team leader in goals and points, has another year left on his contract on a very fair $4.65 million cap hit. Teams are going to serious covet that contract for the rest of this season and next season.

If Coleman, who doesn’t have the history of offensive production as Palmieri despite being a similar age, can demand not one, but two 1st-round prospects, then Palmieri’s value has to be in the same stratosphere.

Honestly, if that’s true then Palmieri might be as good as gone. Imagine the Devils get a fourth 1st-round pick in an NHL Draft as stacked as this one, they may not be able to say no. Then, add in whatever they get for Wayne Simmonds and Sami Vatanen, and this could make the Devils the most influential team in this year’s NHL Draft by a long shot.

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However, is there any chance the Devils could choose to keep Palmieri despite going in a direction nobody expected at the beginning of the season? It seems pretty clear the Devils aren’t even going to come close to the playoffs next season unless they are carried there by Mackenzie Blackwood. Would it be smart to hold on to Palmieri as he goes into his contract year?

It’s actually not that crazy. Interim general manager Tom Fitzgerald did say he wants to get more players similar in age range to Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. That doesn’t mean that EVERY player needs to be that age. Even the Ottawa Senators have Artem Anisimov and Ron Hainsey. Veterans are an important part of a rebuild when they are used correctly.

It’s up to Palmieri now. He has a partial no-trade clause (he can say no to eight teams) and we’re sure the Devils have asked him to release that list. Fitzgerald said he isn’t calling anyone on his own players and will let teams come to him. He has three assets that are very different, but no doubt available in Palmieri, Vatanen and Simmonds. The teams that are going to want each player have very specific needs.

When it comes to Palmieri, teams must pay a certain price. The Devils will be willing to accept a lesser price for the rentals because they could lose them for nothing. For Palmieri, they need to be swept off their feet like they were with the Coleman offer. If they aren’t, then Palmieri is going to stay with New Jersey through the rest of the season.