Ondrej Palat
The Devils signed Ondrej Palat to a five-year deal worth a total of $30 million. He’s now three years into that deal, and most Devils fans are upset with the returns. He’s played more games this season than he has in the previous two Devils seasons, as injuries have impacted his time in New Jersey. Palat just hasn’t scored like he should at this point in the season. He has 14 goals and 13 assists. That is remarkably low for a player who spent part of the season stapled to Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt.
The one time we saw the best of Ondrej Palat was in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Palat was signed by the Devils to perform in the playoffs, and he did a pretty good job of that. Right before he was signed, he had 21 points in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2022. In 2023, Palat had seven points in 12 games.
If Palat can perform when it matters most, he might get the fanbase back on his side. Heck, the Devils might change their plans for Palat in the offseason. The buyout of his contract isn’t terrible, but if he’s dominating in the playoffs, we don’t see a way the Devils could buy him out (but they might trade him based on his inflated value).
Palat’s is a regrettable contract for the Devils, but he still has time to make up for the start of his Devils career.