As the season approaches the one-month mark someone might be in the running for the next unlikely hero for the New York Islanders , as early trends are beginning to come into view. Despite several absences, such as the Alexander Romanov injury, the team has played a strong, structure-based game that has kept them in the vast majority of their contests so far. On the individual level, Victor Eklund has begun to make the jump to NHL play, Bo Horvat has impressed since being named captain and goaltender Ilya Sorokin has played as strongly as ever. On the other hand, some surprises are becoming apparent, and one is forward Ondrej Palat .
After the Islanders acquired him from the New Jersey Devils last year, Palat had a rough go in his first stint on Long Island. However, fast-forward to this year, and he's adjusted well to a bottom-six role and has given the group strong play on all sides of the game.
April 9, 2026; Elmont, New York; New York Islanders centre Brayden Schenn (10) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in the first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
This development comes as the team remains battered by injuries at forward. Mathew Barzal has yet to play a game this season after a lower-body injury, and forwards Calum Ritchie and Matias Maccelli were recently placed on the IR with lower-body ailments of their own. However, Palat has played a steady role consistently, giving head coach Peter DeBoer flexibility to navigate until the team gets healthy.
As the Islanders pushed for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot heading into February, Palat was brought in to add more experience into their forward group. To that point in the season, Palat was struggling in New Jersey, tallying just four goals and six assists for 10 points in 51 games. With his struggles and $6 million salary cap hit for both the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons, the team offloaded his contract in exchange for forward Maxim Tsyplakov and a pair of mid-round picks.
Palat made an immediate positive impression last season, scoring a power play goal in his Islanders debut against the New York Rangers. However, that red light proved to be his only tally for the remainder of the campaign, adding four assists in his 29 games after the trade.
Even if he was playing in a bottom-six role, with Palat now 35 and having a hefty cap hit, it would've been a challenge for the Islanders to move him, even with one year left on his deal. This year, Palat has rewarded the team for keeping him in their plans, and the numbers back it up.
His two goals and an assist for three points in 10 games may not jump off the page, but he's been versatile and played in a variety of roles, including some power play minutes on the team's second unit. Beyond the base stats, the numbers show a much more engaged player.
Palat has generated a Corsi-for of 126, combining all shot attempts generated. Factoring in his total Corsi-against of 106, he boasts a Corsi-For-Percentage (CF%) of 54.3, suggesting the Islanders are controlling play more often than not when he is on the ice. This figure is a considerable jump from his figures last year, when he posted a 49.4 CF% in his first stint with the Islanders, as well as a 50.9 percent clip from all of last season. His Fenwick-For-Percentage, which factors in shots and missed shot only, sits at 52.9 percent, a jump from his 50.1 percent Islanders mark and 51.2 percent aggregate last year.
While Palat was consistently sitting at or around the 50 percent benchmark of average NHL skaters, his current figures are not only higher than last year, but also put him on pace for the best mark he's posted in the last several seasons. Should both his CF% and Fenwick For Percentage hold, both would be his highest marks since the 2023-24 season, where he hit 55.6 percent and 54.5 percent, respectively. Whether or not he can sustain these rates is to be determined, but they still reflect the work he's put in to earn a regular role.
With this sustained success comes some impressive performances as well. His best performance came on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, when Maccelli and Ritchie suffered their injuries and left the game early. Palat was a standout as the Islanders navigated their way through a shorthanded bench. According to Natural Stat Trick , the Islanders generated 19 shot attempts while allowing only one when he was on the ice.
"He's been great all year," DeBoer said after Saturday's game . "He's come back with something to prove. I think right from training camp he's been engaged and ready. He wants more. If anything, it's on me to give him a little bit more than he's even got so far. He's been that good."
As New York has navigated through an injury-riddled start to the season, Palat has been a needed anchor for the team's forward group. Even if he isn't expected to be a marquee forward as is expected from the likes of Horvat, he's served his role well in all aspects of play. Whether or not those rates are sustainable will be determined over the course of the season, but the early evidence shows that Palat has reinvented his game in a supporting role. Although he may not be the high-profile scorer, his success makes the Islanders' lineup much deeper and can help the team stay afloat until they start to get healthy.
More News & Notes From Around the NHL:
Ottawa Senators Give Travis Green Multi-Year Extension
NHL Rumours: Toronto Maple Leafs Looking to Improve Defence
Brady Tkachuk Return to the Home of the Ottawa Senators
Main Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
