The Washington Capitals and New York Islanders are tied for first place in the East Division after the Isles defeated the Caps 1-0 Tuesday at Nassau Coliseum. A night later, the Islanders have made a major trade deadline deal that will give them some much-needed forward depth after losing Anders Lee for the season with a knee injury.
The Islanders acquired Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac from the New Jersey Devils for prospects and picks (forwards A.J. Greer, Mason Jobst, the Islanders first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.)
The Devils agreed to retain 50 percent of both Palmieri and Zajac’s salaries to make the deal happen.
Palmieri, a 2019 NHL All-Star, has tallied 17 points (8g, 9a) in 34 games for the Devils this seaso. He scored 20 or more goals in the five prior seasons, including 30 goals in 2015-16.
Kyle Palmieri, acquired by NYI, was one of the league's most consistent goal scorers until a big slump this season.
Outside of scoring he's a serviceable enough player, but the bet for the Isles is that he gets back to his usual rhythm (which I think is a good one). #Isles pic.twitter.com/uHaP3SBpE6
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) April 7, 2021
On a young Devils team that has struggled to score goals, Palmieri has seen his overall production drop this season, but his expected goals percentage remain as high as it’s been in past years.
This is the ball game right here: Palmieri has been one of the league's most efficient scorers for the past six seasons before this one. #Isles are betting that this is a slump, which based on his track record seems fairly safe. pic.twitter.com/lTkKNNo7va
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) April 8, 2021
Meanwhile, the 35-year-old Zajac has played in over 1,000 career games and gives the Isles some center depth with a pop of offense (18 points in 33 games).
Travis Zajac, acquired by NYI, is an average middle six veteran centre, not a whole lot stands out here but should be fine. I guess Andy Greene worked well enough, why not try the forward version? #Isles pic.twitter.com/O0tdBbDm1F
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) April 7, 2021
Devils general manager Tom Fitzergald was blunt in wishing both players a lot of success in the postseason with Barry Trotz.
Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald: "I hope the pick we get is the 32nd pick. I hope both of these gentlemen win the Cup."
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) April 8, 2021
The two prospects the Devils are receiving in the deal are American forward Mason Jobst and Canadian left-winger A.J. Greer.
Amanda Stein of the New Jersey Devils said both players will report to AHL Binghamton.
Both players have been playing with the Islanders AHL team this season. Jobst, who is 27, appeared in 44 games with Bridgeport last season, while Greer, originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the second round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft has 209 games of AHL experience with 59 goals and 70 assists. Greer has suited up in 37 NHL games over the course of three NHL seasons.
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