New Jersey Devils
Ex-Devils Scorer Could Return; Why NJ Has Advantage in Free Agency
The New Jersey Devils need scoring. A reunion with Kyle Palmieri makes perfect sense. Here’s why they could have a leg up in free agency.
The circumstances have changed for Kyle Palmieri. Whereas it once appeared like he would be staying on Long Island, there’s a new man in charge as the general manager, and that potentially changes everything for his New York Islanders tenure. If it’s over for him in Elmont, the New Jersey Devils should swoop in via free agency for a chance at a reunion with the scoring winger.
READ MORE: Devils Forward Leaves NHL, Signs Contract in Switzerland
First thing’s first, if GM Tom Fitzgerald is going to look to free agency to find scoring help, there’s a high probability he’s going to overpay.
That’s just the nature of free agency.
What might that contract look like? AFP Analytics projects Palmieri to ink a two-year contract with a $5,034,760 average annual value.
With a rising cap, that’s actually a very reasonable deal for a complimentary winger who has a 30-goal ceiling and can play top-six minutes.
Palmieri certainly holds value on the open market. If the Devils are interested in a reunion, they won’t be the only team calling in free agency as a perennial 20-plus goal and two-time 30-goal scorer.
At the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, the Devils sniffed around Kyle Palmieri as a potential scoring option. However, then Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello opted to hold onto Palmieri with the intention that he would sign an extension, as opposed to Brock Nelson who was shipped off to the Colorado Avalanche.
However, now there’s a realistic chance Palmieri hits the open market.
We already know there are going to be changes to the Devils. They have a need for goalscorers.
Palmieri fits the bill as a right-shot winger who can fit anywhere in the Devils’ top-to-middle-six.
Perhaps the Devils have a leg up in free agency. Palmieri is a former Devil and the trip from Long Island to Newark, New Jersey isn’t that far. He wouldn’t have to uproot his family at the tail-end of his career, and could continue to play close to his current home.
Plus, signing on with the Devils isn’t just for the convenience. The Devils are a team that can win, and win now.
Is Palmieri the top scorer heading to market? Certainly not with names like Brock Boeser and Nikolaj Ehlers potentially making it to July 1st. However, he scored 24 goals last season, and 30 goals the season prior, on an offensively starved Islanders team that potted below three goals per-game each year.
Seeking Palmieri in free agency is certainly one way the Devils should look to upgrade their scoring. After the Devils never replaced Tyler Toffoli’s scoring from the 2023-24 season, Palmieri is a logical replacement to begin filling the void.
If Islanders GM Mathieu Darche decides Palmieri is no longer in the plans on Long Island, it spells opportunity for Fitzgerald.
Whether he’s the big scoring addition this summer, or an added bonus to the scoring depth, a reunion with Palmieri makes perfect sense for the Devils moving forward.
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