New Jersey Devils: 5 Teams That Should Be In On Kyle Palmieri

The New Jersey Devils are deciding what to do with sniper Kyle Palmieri right now. All reports say they are talking with his camp to see if an extension between the two sides makes sense. While this might turn into Palmieri spending the next few years in the state he grew up in, many believe the most likely option is seeing Palmieri on another team before the trade deadline.

The Palmieri of last season would fit on just about any team in the league. He’s only making $4.6 million against the cap this season. His base salary is only $4.25 million in the final year of his deal, so teams looking to save actual cash with no fans in the building can count their pennies on this deal.

The New Jersey Devils can get a good prospect in a Kyle Palmieri trade.

Palmieri does have some power here. He has a modified no-trade clause. However, he only has the ability to submit an eight-team no-trade list. That means 23 teams are eligible to trade for Palmieri at any time. The worry is he might have just handed the Devils all Canadian teams while adding one more. Some players don’t want to deal with a two-week quarantine during what’s already been a tough season.

However, the team with the best package might be north of the border. It’s something the Devils will try to figure out. The trade deadline isn’t until April 12th, but with the Devils season firmly down the drain, they may look to move pieces early. Teams want to get assets in now so they can get acclimated to the team, get through any work issues pertaining to the pandemic, and make sure there’s chemistry built on the ice before the playoffs. These five teams make the most sense for Palmieri, as much as it might hurt to say goodbye.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Ignoring the fact that they are in Canada, the Toronto Maple Leafs make a ton of sense as a trade partner. GM Kyle Dubas already came out and said he’s willing to trade top prospects to make an upgrade on his team. They’ve gone through slumps, so despite their already high-powered offense, they would like an upgrade to their group. Also, they have one of the best top sixes in the sport, so Palmieri would fit right in with a line that could set him up to score at will.

The Maple Leafs make sense for the Devils because they have some extremely intriguing prospects. Tops on the list for the Devils should be Timothy Liljegren. Obviously, they won’t want to lose him or Rasmus Sandin, as they can be their defense of the next ten years, but if Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald could talk Dubas into putting one of them in the deal, it should be an open and shut case.

The Leafs will try to stop the conversation at a 1st-round pick, but their end game is winning the Stanley Cup. Getting a pick that’s guaranteed to be in the 20s, but could be as high as 31st in a weak NHL Draft year is not great asset management by the Devils.

Nick Robertson is another prospect that’s been mentioned in online trade talks, but that seems incredibly unlikely. Honestly, he seems more untouchable than the defensemen.

A weird move would be for the Devils to get back an old prospect in the deal. Would trading for Joey Anderson and a 1st-round pick be enough for the Devils? The team would like a defensive prospect with the team looking at a season with only Ty Smith, Damon Severson, and Will Butcher on the blue line, but Anderson already proved he could be a good player for this franchise. He would also get a legitimate NHL chance back in New Jersey.

This is all moot if the Palmieri NTC doesn’t allow him to go to Canada, but it’s still worth mentioning because the Maple Leafs are going to go hard this season.

New York Islanders

The Devils and Islanders make the most sense on paper for a Kyle Palmieri trade. The Islanders literally just lost Anders Lee for the rest of the season. They have a chance to make a push to the Stanley Cup Final after getting so close last season. Everything seems to be falling into place before the Lee injury. Now, they have to replace his production.

Lou Lamoriello has been willing to make deals for players he used to call his own before. He traded for Andy Greene last season, and that’s worked out very well for them. Lamoriello wasn’t technically the GM when the Devils traded for Palmieri, but he was still in the organization. Maybe he was deep in those talks, or maybe it was all Ray Shero. Either way, Lamoriello hasn’t been shy when it comes to trading with the Devils.

Palmieri does everything else on the ice besides score, which would fit perfectly in the Barry Trotz system. He shouldn’t be on the penalty kill because that takes away from his minutes he could be a scoring winger, but he’s been on the PK this season. That shows his willingness to do everything to help the team win.

The Islanders are seeing a lot of their great prospects graduating into the NHL, so it will be impossible to get them in a deal. However, Bode Wilde and Robin Salo are both very interesting defensive prospects that are probably close to NHL ready. Also, as with everyone, picks will be on the table. The Islanders spent big to get Jean-Gabriel Pageau last season, so Lamoriello is still willing to spend picks when the right piece comes along.

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are the last no-brainer of the group. They’ve been tied to Palmieri for years. It always seems like their fans love the player, and it makes a lot of sense on paper. The Bruins are another team with an incredible top six that would fit Palmieri’s sniper mentality. He could immediately jump on the second line to give a scoring punch with Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci.

The Bruins are always willing to spend to make themselves Stanley Cup contenders. They’ve been at the top of the league almost every year, but it’s gone under the radar that they haven’t been able to get over the hump. They’ve only won one Stanley Cup championship in this era, and it came 10 years ago. After getting so close so many times, the Bruins will be willing to part with pieces to finish their puzzle.

What pieces would the Devils look to target? For one, as with just about everyone, a 1st-round pick will start the conversation. The Bruins will hope it ends the conversation, but more negotiations will be needed.

The Devils could opt to go after a massive prospect instead of the 1st rounder. Unfortunately, the Bruins have the worst prospects in the league according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. There are still some interesting pieces. Jack Studnicka was good in his first season in the AHL, putting up 49 points in 60 games for the Providence Bruins. He’s been up and down between the AHL and NHL and taxi squad this season. Urho Vaakanainen has always been an intriguing prospect, and he’s spent most of his time on the taxi squad this season. The defenseman could eventually come into his own, but he might not be enough to get Palmieri by himself anymore.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights are looking to finally going from contenders to champions. They’ve been right in the conversation from day one, going to the Stanley Cup Final in the franchise’s first year in existence. They’ve dealt with the Devils before, sending Nikita Gusev as the “final piece” before the 2019-20 season.

While that hasn’t exactly worked out, the Devils are still dealing with an open line of communication with the Knights. Teams like the Carolina Hurricanes probably hang up on Fitzgerald over how past trades have gone, but the Knights are looking to make a deal. Speaking of the Gusev trade, the Knights still own the Devils 2021 2nd-round pick in that deal, and the Devils might look to grab that pick in any deal.

Beyond that, the Knights don’t have years of prospects to build on, but there are some interesting names they could target in a Palmieri trade. However, they’ve done incredibly well building up the pool over the years. Right now, their top prospects include Peyton Krebs, Lucas Elvenes, and Jack Dugan. Krebs is completely off the table, but Dugan is incredibly intriguing in a Palmieri trade.

He surprisingly signed with the Knights after playing with Providence college with Devils prospect Tyce Thompson. Reuniting with his college teammate could be intriguing to Dugan, and it could be an easy way to sell a move from a top team to a bottom team. He’s struggled scoring in the AHL this season, but he still has 12 points in 12 games thanks to his 11 assists. The Devils could find a role for him in the NHL this season to see what he’s worth, or he can add to the young talent in Binghamton while they wait for Thompson to sign.