New Jersey Devils: Grading Another Good Kyle Palmieri Season

The New Jersey Devils have a great player in Kyle Palmieri who had another good year. How long is he going to stay is the question?

The New Jersey Devils haven’t been that good of a team in the last seven or so years, but none of it has been Kyle Palmieri‘s fault. If anything, he has been the most consistent player on the Devils since he arrived via trade from the Anaheim Ducks in 2015. He is always a lock to score anywhere from 20-30 goals and be a steady presence in the locker room.

Another thing that is a bit underrated about Palmieri’s game is his defensive abilities. It is rare for a wing to be as good defensively as Palmieri is while putting up the goal totals that he does. He was more of the same in 2019-20 in what was another disappointing year for his team. He was in trade rumors for a while but they ultimately kept him. He has one more year left on his deal so it will be interesting to see how they handle him.

He had 25 goals and 20 assists for 45 points in 65 games played this year. If he was granted the opportunity to finish the season there is a good chance he would have ended at the 30 goal plateau. He isn’t a superstar by any means, but he is a pure sniper that can be gritty and times and is a fantastic leader.

Palmieri is the type of guy that you can count on for a big goal at times, but if the Devils receive a nice offer for him this offseason, they might be wise to consider it. They proved in 2019-20 that they aren’t as far along as we thought and a contender might pay a nice price for a player of Palmieri’s caliber. However, if Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier was able to take a huge leap in 2020-21 it might really make it hard to trade Palmieri. Any scenario can happen with this guy right now but there is no doubt that he is a good goal scorer.

The reason Kyle Palmieri gets a B is that he had a good season. He was selected to the all-star game before an injury kept him out of it. He scores lots of goals on a team that needs all the goals they can get and he did that again this year. He might have reached 30 had the season not been paused. He doesn’t get a higher grade than a B because he didn’t really help elevate anyone else this year, but that also isn’t really his role.

Palmieri is a good player but he might not be the guy you break the bank for when you look to extend him. He didn’t do enough to earn an A but he certainly is well-deserving of this B grade that he is being given. Hopefully, the way that the Devils handle him is the best way for both him and the team.