NEWARK, N.J. -- The New Jersey Devils appear to be close to trading veteran winger Ondrej Palat.
The team said Palat was being held out of its game Tuesday night against Winnipeg for roster management reasons. Reporters saw the 34-year-old leaving the arena prior to the start of warmups.
The Devils have been discussing trading Palat and defenseman Dougie Hamilton for quite some time in an effort to clear salary cap space. Palat has one season left after this one on his contract that counts $6 million against the cap.
"These are two respected players," general manager Tom Fitzgerald said on Jan. 14. "They're very respected in that locker room, and they will be treated with respect."
Palat helped Tampa Bay win the Stanley Cup back to back in 2020 and '21 and is set to represent Czechia at the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics.
He has struggled to produce in recent months with the Devils, who rank 29th out of 32 teams in scoring. He has just 10 points on four goals and six assists through 51 games, but has a championship pedigree and could be leaned on for his leadership.
"Ondrej, he's a great pro, and he cares and he really wants to push and help," Fitzgerald said two weeks ago. "Our players admire him. No, his production isn't where anybody envisioned it. But it was more the person, the experience to come in to help our young guys understand what winning looks like from his experience."
